A TWO-DECADE SURVEY OF FELINE TUMOURS (2000-2020) IN SLOVENIA: OCCURRENCE, TYPES, AND LOCALIZATION

Teodora Nikodinovska; Mitja Gombač; Tamara Dolenšek; Kristina Tekavec; Sabina Šturm; Katarina Pavlin; Boshko Koloski; Tanja Švara

doi:10.26873/SVR-2337-2026

Authors

Teodora Nikodinovska Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, University of Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Mitja Gombač Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, University of Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Tamara Dolenšek Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, University of Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Kristina Tekavec Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, University of Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Sabina Šturm nstitute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, University of Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Katarina Pavlin Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, University of Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Boshko Koloski Jožef Stefan Institute and Postgraduate School, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Tanja Švara* Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, University of Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty, Gerbičeva 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, tanja.svara@vf.uni-lj.si

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26873/SVR-2337-2026

Keywords:

cat, tumour, age, occurrence, retrospective study, Slovenia

Abstract

We performed a retrospective study of feline tumours diagnosed in Slovenia over a 21-year period (2000–2020), aiming to analyse their occurrence and related epidemiological features. We systematically reviewed histopathological reports from biopsies and necropsy specimens of cats submitted to the Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees at the University of Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty. Tumours were diagnosed in 901 cats, representing 28.99% of all feline submissions. The majority of tumours were malignant (741 tumours; 82.24%), while 17.76% (160 tumours) were benign. The most common tumour type was squamous cell carcinoma (20.53%), followed by lymphoma (17.20%), soft tissue sarcoma (12.76%), and mammary carcinoma (9.43%). The most commonly affected organ systems were the skin and subcutaneous tissues (44.40% of all tumours), the oral cavity (10.88%), and the mammary gland (10.54%). Tumours were more frequently found in female cats (553 tumours; 61.38%) than in male cats (348 tumours; 38.62%) and were most common in cats aged 10 to 12 years. Our findings are largely comparable with those of other similar studies.

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