Radiographic assessment of pulmonary metastatic lesions in superficial cutaneous and mammary neoplasms in dogs.

The present study was carried out to assess the pulmonary metastatic lesions in cases of canine superficial and mammary neoplasms presented to the University Veterinary Hospitals, Mannuthy and Kokkalai, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University during a twelve month period from February 2019 to February 2020. Twenty-four cases of neoplasms in dogs consisting of 12 cases of superficial neoplasms and 12 cases of mammary neoplasms were subjected to fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) for the confirmation of malignancy of neoplasm and three view thoracic radiographs were taken to assess the pulmonary metastatic pattern. The results were correlated with the malignancy detected in histopathological analysis after excisional biopsy. The most commonly observed pulmonary metastatic lesions were pulmonary nodules followed by pulmonary micronodules, miliary nodules, and pulmonary mass. These lesions were more evident in malignant mammary neoplasms especially in tubulopapillary carcinoma, ductal carcinoma, and medullary mammary carcinoma with spatial arrangements more in the perihilar region followed by caudodorsal, midventral, and cranioventral area of lung parenchyma. In case of superficial neoplasms miliary patterns and pulmonary microndules were mostly detected as pulmonary metastatic pattern in soft tissue sarcoma, round cell tumour, and malignant fibrohistiocytoma.

Occurrence of canine mammary and skin/ subcutaneous neoplasms in and around Thrissur district of Kerala during 2017-2020: A review of 265 cases

The study was conducted in 265 clinical cases of mammary and skin/ subcutaneous neoplasms in dogs presented to University Veterinary Hospitals Mannuthy and Kokkalai during a period of 36 months from October 2017 to September 2020. Mammary neoplasms were found more in females (51.7 per cent) than in males whereas skin and subcutaneous neoplasms were found more in male dogs (48.3 per cent). The maximum occurrence of neoplasms was recorded in the age group of eight to twelve years (38.5 per cent) whereas least occurrence was noticed in the age group up to four years (9 per cent). Labrador and Rottweiler breeds were found more affected with neoplasms (38 per cent each) with highest occurrence of mammary neoplasms in inguinal mammary glands (35.03 per cent) and highest occurrence of skin/ subcutaneous neoplasms on sites involving trunk region (14.06 per cent cases). Eighty-three per cent of the neoplasm cases in the present study were pet dogs with a greater number of dogs maintained in outdoor kennels and 17 per cent of neoplasm was found in free-roaming dogs rescued from streets. Out of total 265 dogs, 37.73 per cent dogs were found to be having commercial dog food as their main feed and 32 per cent dogs were fed with a mixed diet of homemade food and commercial dog food. Among the cases, 14.71 per cent dogs had a previous history of cancer surgery

The Clinical and Pathological Characteristics of Mammary Neoplasms with Malignant Mesenchymal Components in Female Dogs

Mammary neoplasms with malignant mesenchymal components are not common in female dogs, and they are poorly understood. As such, this study aimed to describe the clinical presentation, histological findings, and the COX-2 immunohistochemical expression of mammary neoplasms in female dogs with malignant mesenchymal components, as well as verify the relationships between the different neoplasm types and these aspects. We selected 41 female mammary neoplasms (23 carcinosarcomas, 16 sarcomas, and 2 sarcomas in mixed tumors). Medical records were reviewed to obtain clinical data. Subsequently, histological slides were analysed to establish histological parameters, and immunohistochemistry was used to assess the expression of COX-2 receptors. Carcinosarcomas and sarcomas developed as large tumours, mainly in the abdominal and inguinal mammary glands, with frequent intratumoral necrosis and a low frequency of nodal metastasis. Fifty-eight percent of the cases of malignant mesenchymal proliferation were identified as osteosarcomatous, and 24.5% chondrosarcomatous and fibrosarcomastous each. The osteosarcomatous pattern was the most predominant type in sarcomas and carcinosarcomas, and was the only one that resulted in vascular invasion, regional lymph node metastases, and higher histologic grades. High COX-2 expression was detected in 10% of the carcinosarcomas and 25% of the sarcomas. In conclusion, sarcomas and carcinosarcomas showed similar results regarding the clinical and pathological aspects. Discovering carcinosarcomas and sarcomas with high COX-2 expression suggests that, in some cases, these neoplasms may respond to therapy with COX-2 inhibitors.

Hypercalcemia in bitches with malignant mammary neoplasms

Malignant hypercalcemia is a paraneoplastic syndrome. It has been detected in several types of malignant tumors in dogs, such as lymphomas, and also in mammary neoplasms, without the exact determination of the mechanisms involved in its occurrence as well as its incidence. In this study, 100 bitches with mammary malignant neoplasia, diagnosed by histopathological analysis, were submitted to clinical evaluation for disease staging, hematological evaluation, serum biochemistry, including renal function tests, hepatic and total calcium serum levels and ionized fraction. These parameters were analyzed at the time of the initial attendance and 30 days after the treatment. The most frequent histological pattern was carcinoma in mixed tumors (26%). In 52% of the diseased dogs, hypercalcemia was observed by means of ionized calcium dosing, which was not verified by means of total calcium dosing, where only 4% presented hypercalcemia. No correlation was found between hypercalcemia and the histological pattern of the neoplasms. However, the correlation was verified between hypercalcemia and more advanced stages of the disease, mainly from stage III, suggesting that the detection of hypercalcemia may be correlated with worse prognosis, showing the importance of the research concerning the presence of paraneoplastic syndromes in bitches with mammary neoplasms.

Nuclear Insulinoma-Associated Protein 1 Expression as a Marker of Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Neoplasms of the Breast

Insulinoma-associated protein-1 (INSM1), a transcription factor encoded by the insulinoma associated-1 gene, is a second-generation biomarker of neuroendocrine differentiation. Its sensitivity and specificity in comparison with chromogranin-A and synaptophysin have been extensively validated in several organs, but evidence regarding its expression in mammary neoplasms is limited. In this study, INSM1 immunohistochemistry was validated in a cohort of 22 mammary neoplasms, enriched with special type breast carcinomas with known neuroendocrine differentiation as determined by immunohistochemistry for synaptophysin and chromogranin-A. Subsequently, INSM1 expression was evaluated in a consecutive series of 66 invasive breast cancer biopsies. In the validation cohort, 14 tumors were synaptophysin-positive, of which all but one showed INSM1 immunoreactivity. Eight tumors were synaptophysin-negative, of which 3 showed focal nuclear INSM1 expression. Six tumors were chromogranin-A-positive, of which one was INSM1-negative. When compared with synaptophysin, INSM1 seems more sensitive but less specific than chromogranin-A. In the biopsy cohort, only one invasive carcinoma of no special type showed substantial INSM1 immunoreactivity (ie, 25% of the tumor cells). Three more cases showed 1% nuclear INSM1 staining. We conclude that neuroendocrine differentiation in invasive breast carcinoma of no special type is a rare finding. Immunohistochemical biomarkers, comprising INSM1 as well as the first-generation biomarkers chromogranin-A and synaptophysin, are useful to distinguish neuroendocrine differentiation in breast neoplasms. The identification of neuroendocrine differentiation can be helpful to establish the diagnosis of special type breast carcinomas such as solid papillary carcinoma.

Electrocardiography in Bitches with Mammary Tumors

Background: The incidence of cancer has increased due to greater longevity of the animals as a consequence of better control of other diseases, improvement of nutrition and good practices in preventive medicine. Malignant tumors can cause paraneoplastic syndrome as hypercalcemia, anemia, cachexia, among others and consequent cardiovascular disorders. The electrocardiography (ECG) is a complementary exam that can reveal with its traces these rhythms disorders. Based on that, the objective of this study was to evaluate the ECG in bitches with mammary tumors in order to detect in which type of tumor would be found significant changes as in cardiac rhythm, ECG waves, segments or cardiac axis.Material, Methods & Results: Twenty-nine female dogs were used in this study, being 19 bitches with mammary tumor, and they were allocated in three groups: G1: control group (n=10), G2: benign neoplasia group (n=6) and G3: malignant neoplasia group (n=13). The most prevalent type of neoplasia in G2 was the benign mixed tumor (83%), followed by adenoma (17%) whereas in G3: carcinoma in mixed tumor (61%); papillary carcinoma (23%). Regarding cardiac rhythm, it was found sinus arrhythmia (SA) and normal sinus rhythm (NS): G1: 50% SA and 50% NS; G2: 67% SA and 33% NS; G3: 54% SA and 46% NS. No ventricular or atrial arrhythmias were detected. For other parameters in G1, G2 and G3, respectively (mean±Std error): FC (bpm): 110±9.2, 120±8.5, 124±7,5; P (ms): 48±1.6, 51±1.8, 50±1.2; P (mV) 0.19±0.02, 0,2±0.02, 0,19±0.02; PR (ms): 94±4.3, 93±5.5, 89±3.9; QRS (ms): 56±1.54, 60±4, 62±1.2; R (mV): 1.1±0.06, 1.2±0.24, 0.9±0.13; QT (ms): 203±9.4; 204±7.9; 182±15.6; and cardiac axis (°): 66±6.2, 61±7.9, 70±7.5. There were no significant differences for all cardiac parameters and also for ST interval and T wave morphology.Discussion: All electrocardiographic parameters found are in accordance with other studies carried out in the canine species. The results regarding tumor types differ from what was found in another study, in which in 18 bitches with mammary tumors, 55% were benign, with prevalence of adenomas (38%) followed by benign mixed tumors, and 45% malignant, with adenocarcinoma prevailing (22%). In another study, it was verified in 63 bitches the predominance of tubular carcinoma (26.56%) and carcinoma in mixed tumor (23.44%). Diverging from the electrocardiographic parameters of this study, a significant difference was found in the R wave amplitude value in the research by Barros et al., (2015) who performed computerized electrocardiography in 50 dogs, not only with mammary neoplasms (55% mammary carcinomas), but also in mastocytomas, lymphomas, benign tumors and other sarcomas. This author found out that the R wave amplitude values of the neoplasia group were lower when compared to the control group. In addition, we suspect that other types of tumors could result in more paraneoplastic syndrome than the mammary neoplasms found in this research. Neoplasms as lymphomas (T cells), apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinomas, multiple myelomas and thymomas are known as a cause of hypercalcemia of malignancy and histiocytic sarcomas, myelomas, leukemia and lymphomas causing anemia. In conclusion, ECG has no changes in benign or malignant mammary tumors in dogs. However, this fact does not exclude the importance of its performance in pre-anesthetic evaluations.

Oxidative stress in female dogs with mammary neoplasms

ABSTRACT: The result of the reaction of free radicals with biomolecules is the formation of substances with the potential of inducing oxidative damage, a condition known as oxidative stress. There are voluminous literature data reporting the association, both as a cause and as a consequence, between different diseases and oxidative stress. In this study, 144 female dogs with mammary neoplasia were analyzed. The animals were submitted to clinical evaluation for disease staging, hematological evaluation, serum biochemistry (renal and hepatic function tests), and dosage of the oxidative damage biomarker, malondialdehyde (MDA), at the time of its approach and 30 days after treatment. A control group of 100 healthy animals was also submitted to determination of serum MDA levels. The mean age of the animals affected by mammary neoplasms was 9.88±2.95 (4 to 14) years, while in healthy animals it was 2.31±1.90 years (1 to 6). Of the 144 animals, 113 (78.9%) had malignant neoplasms, and 15, 21, 46, 17 and 14 animals were in clinical stage I, II, III, IV and V respectively and the carcinoma in a mixed tumor was the most frequent histological pattern in this group (26%). Thirty-one animals were diagnosed with benign neoplasms and mammary adenoma was the most frequent histological pattern in 15 animals (51.61%). Hematological changes in the preoperative period were observed in 44 (38.9%) and 12 (38.7%) animals with malignant and benign neoplasias, respectively, and there was a positive correlation between anemia and higher levels of MDA (P=0.0008) for animals with malignant tumors. Regarding serum biochemical parameters, the most frequent alterations in animals with malignant neoplasms were elevated ALT levels in 12 animals (10.6%), creatinine in 10 animals (8.84%) and urea in eight animals (7.07%). Females with benign neoplasms presented less occurrence of changes in these parameters. In the group of healthy animals (control), the mean serum MDA values were 12.08±4.18, whereas in the pre-treatment group, mean MDA was 24.80±5.74 for bitches with benign neoplasms and 32.27±10.24 for bitches with malignant tumors. A significant increase (P<0.001) in MDA levels was observed in animals with malignant mammary neoplasms when compared to healthy animals and with benign tumors. In addition, a significant reduction (P<0.001) was observed 30 days after treatment in MDA levels (27.37±7.86) in animals with malignant tumors. In conclusion, our results indicate an association between MDA seric levels and mammary neoplasms in dogs. The results suggest that this factor can be used as a biomarker of oxidative stress with a potential impact in the prognostic of mammary tumors, since significantly higher levels of MDA were detected especially in dogs carrying malignant tumors and presenting anemia.

Consensus Regarding the Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment of Canine and Feline Mammary Tumors - 2019

The aim of this paper is to discuss and update criteria that can guide the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of canine and feline mammary neoplasms. It was elaborated during the IV Mammary Pathology Meeting: Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment of the Canine and Feline Mammary Neoplasia, held on April 29th and 30th, 2019 in Belo Horizonte – MG, Brazil, sponsored by the Laboratory of Comparative Pathology of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), with the support of the Brazilian Association of Veterinary Pathology (ABPV) and Brazilian Association of Veterinary Oncology (ABROVET). Academics from several regions of Brazil were present and contributed to this work.

Clinical and Ultrasonographic Aspects of Benign and Malignant Mammary Tumors in Female Dogs

Background: Mammary neoplasms in dogs are commonly observed in veterinary clinical routine, most of which being malignant. Hormonal stimulation, endogenous or exogenous, may possibly influence its development. In addition to clinical evaluation, ultrasound analysis can provide information about the characteristics of breast lumps. The association between clinical-epidemiological and pathological data is important for diagnosis. Therefore, given the importance of this pathology for the health of affected dogs, we aimed to evaluate the clinical and ultrasound alterations, along with the factors associated with the development of benign and malignant mammary neoplasms in female dogs. Materials, Methods & Results: We examined 47 samples from the mammary tumors of 35 female dogs at the Small Animal Clinic of the Veterinary Hospital (HV) of the Santa Cruz State University (UESC). The dogs underwent a complete clinical examination, with clinical staging, via TNM classification, followed by hematological, biochemical, radiological and ultrasound, abdominal, and breast exams. Breast ultrasound examination was used to evaluate the shape parameters such as, limits, margins or contour, ecotexture, echogenicity, hyperechoic halo, posterior acoustic shading, surrounding changes, and nodule components. These criteria were associated with the histopathological classification of neoplasms. Epidemiological data was studied through an adapted questionnaire containing information on risk factors associated with breast cancer. The same questionnaire was applied to tutors of 19, age-matched, female dogs with no history of breast cancer. The results revealed that most female dogs with neoplasia were over eight years of age, with no specific breed and were not castrated, and 31.4% of them had already been administered with contraceptives during the reproductive period. Ovariohysterectomy acted as a protective factor (OR 0.06) to the development of breast tumors, while contraceptive use was considered as a risk factor (OR 6.99). The average time reported between tumor perception and clinical care was 13.2 months. The caudal and inguinal abdominal breasts were the most affected. Among the samples evaluated, 76.6% were malignant, with mixed tumor carcinoma being the most frequent type and 69.4% graded in grade I. Nodules classified as malignant showed the largest diameter (P < 0.05). Breast ultrasound results revealed that tumors with heterogeneous echotextures and mixed components were associated with malignancy (P < 0.05). Discussion: The fact that the average age of female dogs with breast cancer was over eight years of age corroborates the literature. Considering that a greater age would mean a longer exposure to the carcinogenic initiators responsible for mutations, and to promoters, such as hormonal changes. Contraceptives increase the risk of breast lumps, while reduce that of ovariohysterectomy, in female dogs, even when performed after the second heat. The size of the nodules and ultrasound criteria related to echotexture and the type of component of the neoplasia may be used as prognostic parameters of female breast nodules. Additionally, most nodules evaluated in this study were malignant (mixed tumor carcinoma was the most common subtype), possibly due to the owners' delay in seeking veterinary care after tumor observation. Although malignant, most nodules presented with a low histopathological grading.Background: Mammary neoplasms in dogs are commonly observed in veterinary clinicalroutine, most of which being malignant. Hormonal stimulation, endogenous or exogenous,may possibly influence its development. In addition to clinical evaluation, ultrasound analysiscan provide information about the characteristics of breast lumps. The association betweenclinical-epidemiological and pathological data is important for diagnosis. Therefore, given theimportance of this pathology for the health of affected dogs, we aimed to evaluate the clinicaland ultrasound alterations, along with the factors associated with the development of benignand malignant mammary neoplasms in female dogs.Materials, Methods &amp; Results: We examined 47