[CANCER RESEARCH 33, 623-625,
March 1973]
Spontaneous Epidermal Tumor in an Adult Newt, Cynops
pyrrhogaster1
Susan V. Bryant
Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92664
SUMMARY
stained with either Schiffs reagent and light green; Heidenhain's hematoxylin and eosin; or Heidenhain's aniline blue,
The occurrence of spontaneous papillomas in the skin of a
newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster,2 is reported for the first time, and
orange G, and azocarmine.
Histological examination of the tumors revealed that they
were connected to the surface of the body by a narrow stalk
and consisted of folded layers of epidermis, underlain by a
collagenous basement membrane (Fig. 3). The dermal com
ponents of the tumor were normal in appearance, consisting of
a collagenous layer that contained fibroblasts and melanophores. No glands were present in the tumor. Blood cells were
found in pockets beneath adjacent regions of the basement
membrane. The epithelial component of the tumor was
abnormal but still remained stratified and recognizable as
epidermis. The adjacent normal epidermis consisted of
between 2 and 4 cell layers, whereas the tumor epidermis
consisted of between 5 and 13 cell layers. The outermost layer
of cells in the tumor epidermis was keratinized as in normal
skin. However, cell division, which in the normal epidermis is
confined to cells in the basal layer, was taking place at all
levels in the tumor epidermis (Fig. 2). The percentage of cells
in mitosis was calculated for both the tumor and normal
epidermis. Of a total of 1024 nuclei in the basal and middle
layers of normal epidermis, 5 (0.4%) were found to be in
mitosis and, of 1067 nuclei in the basal and middle layers of
the tumor epidermis, 32 (3%) were in mitosis. Some regions of
the tumor appeared necrotic. Inclusion bodies were not
observed in the cells of the tumors.
Transplantation.
During the 2-month period of observa
tion, fragments of the newt papillomas were transplanted to 7
other newts. In 4 cases, the fragments were placed in skin
tunnels on the flanks of the recipients. These animals were
observed for periods of 1 to 4 months and did not show any
evidence of tumor development. Three other newts were given
i.p. injections of a crude homogenate of tumor fragments and,
after periods of from 6 weeks to 6 months, showed no tumor
development.
a histological description of the tumor is given. The tumor was
composed of both epidermal and dermal elements, but only
the epidermal elements showed abnormalities.
INTRODUCTION
Reports of spontaneous tumors occurring in urodele
amphibians are rare (1-7, 9, 11, 13-15), and it has been
suggested that animals that regenerate well, such as newts,
retain powerful morphogenetic fields capable of controlling
any aberrant cells that arise (8, 10, 12). It is certainly
surprising that there are very few reports of spontaneous skin
tumors in urodeles since, of all tumors, these are the most
readily detectable. This paper describes a spontaneous pedunculated papilloma in the newt C. pyrrhogaster.
CASE REPORT
A batch of C. pyrrhogaster obtained from the Hermosa
Reptile and Wild Animal Farm, Inc., Hermosa Beach, Calif.,
included a female with papillomas on its skin surface.
Macroscopic Appearance. A female newt had 3 papillomas
on its skin, the largest of which was located on the right dorsal
part of the trunk about one-third the distance from the fore to
the hind limbs; this tumor was 8 mm in diameter (Fig. 1). A
2nd tumor was located on the opposite side of the trunk in a
more anterior position, and it measured 3.5 mm in diameter. A
3rd tumor, 5 mm in diameter, was situated on the foot. The 3
tumors were of similar appearance, each having a highly
convoluted and folded surface (Fig. 1). The tumors were
observed for 2 months, during which time they did not
increase in overall size. At the end of this time, the newt
bearing the tumors died of unknown causes. Upon dissection,
no evidence was found of involvement of the tumor in any DISCUSSION
internal organs. Indeed, the tumors themselves could not be
The occurrence of papillomas in amphibians is reported here
detected on the inner surface of the body wall.
Microscopic Appearance. The tumors were fixed in Bouin's for the first time. A female C. pyrrhogaster is described that
solution, embedded in Paraplast, sectioned at 5 urn, and had 3 skin papillomas. These tumors are presumed to have
arisen spontaneously
and were unable to develop after
The tumors themselves consisted of both
'Supported by Special Grant 535(C-1) from the California Division transplantation.
epidermal and dermal elements, but only the epidermal cells
of the American Cancer Society.
'Previously known as Trituras pyrrhogaster (15).
were abnormal in both their organization and mitotic rates.
Received July 5, 1972; accepted November 22, 1972.
The apparently
rare incidence of tumors in urodele
MARCH 1973
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623
Susan V. Bryant
amphibians may be correlated, as various authors have
suggested (8, 10, 12), with the existence of excellent
regenerative ability in these amphibians, or may simply be the
result of failure to observe and report their occurrence.
6.
7.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Miss Laurie Iten for her help in the analysis of
the material and preparation of the manuscript.
8.
9.
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Fig. 1. Surface appearance of the largest papilloma on the back. X 12.5.
Fig. 2. Portion of the tumor epidermis showing mitotic figures in cells not located in the basal layer. Arrow, basement membrane. Heidenhain's
aniline blue, orange G, and azocarmine, X 1050.
Fig. 3. Section through a lobe of the papilloma, to show the thickened but still recognizable epidermis (E). A collagenous basement membrane
(arrow) underlies the epidermis and encloses a small, blood-filled space (B). Stain as in Fig. 2. X 600.
624
CANCER
RESEARCH
VOL. 33
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Epidermal Tumor in a Newt
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t
MARCH 1973
Downloaded from cancerres.aacrjournals.org on June 16, 2017. © 1973 American Association for Cancer Research.
625
Spontaneous Epidermal Tumor in an Adult Newt, Cynops
pyrrhogaster
Susan V. Bryant
Cancer Res 1973;33:623-625.
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