Neoplasia in the chimpanzee (Pan spp.)

Background: Chimpanzees have over 98% genomic sequence homology with humans and may have a similar host response to malignancy. There is minimal information concerning cancer in the chimpanzee and such information would be valuable to individuals caring for and using them for research. Methods: Spontaneous neoplasia that was documented in two chimpanzee colonies and in the literature were evaluated statistically. Results: In all, 105 spontaneous and 12 experimental neoplasms were diagnosed. Seventy-four spontaneous tumors occurred in females, 24 in males, and seven in animals of undetermined sex. Of the spontaneous tumors 89 were benign, 14 were malignant, and two were undetermined. Neoplasia was most common in the urogenital system in females. Conclusions: Neoplasia is not uncommon in the chimpanzee, is generally benign, and occurs primarily in the urogenital system in females.