Skin masses or nodules are a very heterogeneous group. They may appear secondary to trauma or anatomical abnormality, may be infectious or sterile, and may sometimes be tumours (benign or malignant).
Accurate identification of the nature of a nodule is the only method for its effective management. The appearance of the lesion may sometimes be sufficient, but more often it is necessary to carry out further investigations:
- Fine needle puncture and skin layer for cytological examination
- Skin biopsy punch (melon rib or excision) for pathological examination or culture.
Different treatment options should be offered to the owners.
- Clinical surveillance is only possible for certain tumours but, although benign, these can, with time, due to their size or trauma, prove disabling for the animal's comfort (lipoma, follicular tumour, etc.).
- The vast majority of skin tumours require a surgical approach adapted to their nature and location.
- Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy are useful complementary tools for the remission of certain tumours (squamous cell carcinoma, epitheliotropic cutaneous lymphoma, etc.).