GI02 - Clinicopathological Findings, Treatment and Outcome of 60 cats with Feline Gastrointestinal Eosinophilic Sclerosing Fibroplasia

Background – Feline gastrointestinal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia (FGESF) presents as mass(es) associated with the gastrointestinal tract, mesentery, and abdominal lymph nodes.

Hypothesis/Objectives – To report the clinicopathological findings, treatment, and outcome of cats with FGESF.

Animals – Sixty client-owned cats diagnosed with FGESF. 

Methods – Retrospective review of medical records of cats with histopathologically confirmed FGESF. 

Results – The median age of the cats was 5.4 years (range 1.3-14.5); 30% were Domestic Shorthairs and 12% were Domestic Longhair cats, with the most prevalent pedigree breeds being Ragdolls (25%), Exotic Shorthair (10%) and Persian (8%) cats. The mean duration of clinical signs was 182 days (range 3-1080); the most common clinical signs were weight loss (60%), hyporexia/anorexia (55%), chronic vomiting (37%), lethargy (35%) and chronic diarrhea (27%). Abdominal mass was palpated in 58% of the cases; masses were located in the small intestine (32%), stomach (27%), ileocolic junction (15%), colon (10%), lymph node (8%) and mesentery (8%). Eosinophilia was present in 50% and hypoalbuminemia in 28% of cats. The mass was removed surgically in 37% of cases. Most cats (98%) were treated with corticosteroids and 1 cat with antibiotics alone. The mean survival was 925 days (range 44-2689), and this was not statistically different between cats treated with surgical resection and cats treated with medical therapy alone, 88% of the cats still alive at the time of writing. 

Conclusions and clinical importance – FGESF is an important differential diagnosis for abdominal masses in cats, and has a much better prognosis than previously reported.