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Canine (Cavalier King Charles Mix) · Radiograph — Forelimb
- Species
- Canine
- Breed
- Cavalier King Charles Mix
- Age
- 14 years
- Sex
- Female spayed
- Weight
- 21 kg
- Level
- Radiologist
Presenting complaint and brief history
Swollen toe.
Diagnosis
Hides the diagnosis, imaging findings, outcome, take-home points and correlation photos so you can read the images blind.
Subungual squamous cell carcinoma
Confirmed
Imaging findings
The distal phalanx of the 5th digit is mildly reduced in mineral opacity and has slightly less well-defined margins than the remainder of the distal phalanges. The claw of this digit is mildly enlarged.
What happened with the patient
Successful amputation at the metacarpophalangeal joint of right 5th digit.
Key take-home points
- The differential diagnoses were a benign digital mass-forming lesion such as subungual keratoacanthoma (considering the slightly enlarged claw), neoplasia (such as squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, or lymphoma), and osteomyelitis (such as fungal or bacterial)
- This lesion is tricky to see radiographically. Sometimes, subungual squamous cell carcinomas progress to become large markedly lytic lesions. When caught early, the lesion can be as subtle as a small region of bony lysis.
Some fields on this case were drafted with AI assistance from the contributor's own report or dictation, then reviewed by the contributor and by a reviewer before publication. How we use AI.
Contributed by
- Oren Ofer
DVM, DVSc, DACVR
35 cases
Educational use only — not clinical advice.
Cite this case
Ofer O. Subungual squamous cell carcinoma. Radabase case 88e991e9. Retrieved 2026-10-07 from https://www.radabase.vet/case/88e991e9-d8dc-4a66-b46f-4b92ccbf60d8