• Hero Banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Buying or Selling a Practice
Hospital Design
Leadership & Personal Growth
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Technology
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Live Conferences
Conference News
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Study Reveals More Similarities Between Human and Canine Mammary Carcinoma

June 22, 2017
Laurie Anne Walden, DVM, ELS

Researchers have uncovered similarities in the cancer-associated stroma of dogs and humans, providing more evidence to support the field of comparative oncology.

A recent study by investigators from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has uncovered molecular similarities between human and canine mammary carcinomas. The research “further supports the validity of the dog as model for human cancer,” say the authors of the report, which was published in May in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

The researchers studied cancer-associated stroma, the microenvironment consisting of extracellular matrix, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, immune cells, and other types of cells surrounding tumors.

Previous studies have shown that with some human cancers of epithelial origin—including mammary carcinomas—the surrounding stroma actually becomes reprogrammed to support cancer growth.

Advertisement

Mammary tumors in dogs are similar to those in humans both clinically and on a molecular level, write the authors. “But whether these tumor cells also influence the surrounding tissue in dogs the same way they do in humans was unknown until now,” said corresponding author Enni Markkanen, Dr med vet, Dr sc nat, of the Institute of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, in a press release.

The research team conducted the study to investigate whether cancer-associated stroma in dogs plays a role in tumor growth (as it does in humans), whether it is similar to cancer-associated stroma in humans, and how it is formed. They chose to analyze canine simple mammary carcinomas because these tumors are close correlates in dogs and humans.

The researchers isolated normal stroma and cancer-associated stroma from 13 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples of canine mammary carcinomas provided by the Institute of Veterinary Pathology of the Vetsuisse Faculty in Zurich. They used immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction to assess the expression of genes that have been identified as markers of cancer-associated stroma in humans.

The analysis revealed molecular markers of cancer-associated stroma in dogs—the first study to do so, to the knowledge of the authors. The results also suggested similarities (as well as some differences) in the cancer-associated stroma of dogs and humans.

Dogs are valuable models for cancer research because cancer pathophysiology is similar in dogs and humans, say the authors. Mammary tumors in dogs are naturally occurring, as opposed to tumors in genetically modified rodent models of cancer. Studies such as this one improve the understanding of tumor biology and may lead to the development of new treatments for cancer for both species, they write.

“We don’t view our dog patients as test subjects for cancer research,” said Dr. Markkanen in the press release. “But they can help us to better understand breast carcinoma in both dogs and humans and fight it more effectively.”

Dr. Laurie Anne Walden received her doctorate in veterinary medicine from North Carolina State University. After an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Auburn University, she returned to North Carolina, where she has been in small animal primary care practice for over 20 years. Dr. Walden is also a board-certified editor in the life sciences and owner of Walden Medical Writing, LLC. She works as a full-time freelance medical writer and editor and continues to see patients a few days each month.


Advertisement

Latest News

Drug for acute onset of canine pancreatitis is launched on the US market

New Automatic 2-in-1 Pet Feeder and Water Dispenser launched

PetHub launches AI tools for pet owners

Prairie dog pups emerge from underground at Maryland Zoo

View More Latest News
Advertisement