ABSTRACT
Neoplasia means “new growth.” It is the growth of cells that have undergone heritable genetic changes, allowing them to become relatively unresponsive to normal growth control and to expand beyond their ordinary anatomic boundaries. Benign neoplasms do not invade into surrounding tissue and do not spread to new anatomic locations within the body. Malignant neoplasms have the ability to invade locally, and/or metastasize to other locations throughout the body. This chapter reviews current knowledge of neoplasia in reptiles. The review is organized by body system (e.g., urinary, digestive, etc.), and subdivided by Order e.g., Testudines (chelonians; turtles and tortoises), Crocodylia (crocodiles, alligators, caiman, and gharial), and Squamata (lizards and Snakes), where appropriate. It closes with a discussion of ancillary diagnostic techniques, such as immunohistochemistry, that can aid in the diagnosis of neoplasia in reptiles. Squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant tumor of squamous epithelial cells. It is relatively common in many animal species.
