Improved Test for Equine Ovarian Tumor Diagnosis (AAEP 2011)

A recent study showed anti-Mullerian hormone levels is a useful test for detecting granulosa cell tumors.
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Just because a particular type of anomaly in a horse is rare doesn’t mean it’s not important to investigate and understand better: Take granulosa cell tumors (GCTs), for instance. While these only represent about 2.5% of all equine tumors and usually are benign, GCTs are most common neoplasm (tumor) found in the equine reproductive tract; further, GCTs are difficult to diagnose and can cause a host of problems in affected mares including pregnancy prevention and behavioral problems (i.e., stallion-like behavior).

Veterinarians often detect a GCT during a routine palpation or rectal ultrasound, and currently veterinarians rely on endocrine tests–measuring blood levels of certain hormones such as inhibin, testosterone, and progesterone–to confirm suspicions of a GCT.

However, Barry A. Ball, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACT, Albert G. Clay Endowed Chair in Equine Reproduction at the University of Kentucky’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, described an alternate blood test that involves measuring the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in his presentation at the 2011 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Nov. 18-22 in San Antonio, Texas.

“My colleagues and I recently discovered that high levels of AMH are produced by GCTs, which circulate in the bloodstream,” relayed Ball

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Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

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