Malignant fibrous histiocytoma in a bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata).

ABSTRACT

Spontaneous sarcomas, not associated with an underlying disease, appear to be relatively rare in nonhuman primates. Since 1970, there have been few reported cases of naturally-occurring sarcomas of any kind in these species. A malignant histiocytoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma have been described in a rhesus macaque and baboon, respectively. A malignant fibrous histiocytoma is defined as a sarcoma of varied pattern consisting of a mixture of histiocytic and fibroblastic elements. It is thought that the two cells types arise from a common precursor or that the fibroblastic elements are derived from the histiocytes. These tumors are relatively common in humans. Here we report a case of spontaneously-occurring malignant fibrous histiocytoma in an adult bonnet macaque.