Cancer Stem Cell types and Prognosis in Canine Mammary Carcinoma

Canine mammary tumours (CMTs) are the second highest reported neoplasm

in dogs next to skin cancers. They throw challenges of recurrence and

metastasis thereby leading to the animal either being abandoned or euthanized

due to high cost involved in treatment and uncertainty in prognosis. The

CMTs and human breast cancers (HBCs) share lot of similarities in

occurrence, pathology, clinical presentations, and outcome. Also, the etiology

for both HBCs and CMTs would be comparable as they share similar

exposure to environmental factors. Hence, studies involving CMTs aid in

providing insights into HBCs.

The book is designed with the objectives to get better understanding of the

spontaneous CMCs on various aspects like clinico-pathology, hormone

receptor status, cancer stem cell (CSC) status, recurrence/ metastasis,

prognosis, and therapeutics. It also aimed at applying the diagnostic

techniques used in HBCs to CMCs to facilitate early diagnosis and to plan

better treatment strategies for the animals.

CMT samples were collected from Veterinary hospitals and Institutions across

Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A lab-based score card designed from the inputs of

different HBC grading systems was used to grade fine needle aspirates of the

cohort of thirty canine mammary carcinoma (CMC) samples. The score card

exhibited a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 87.5%. CMCs were grouped

based on histological features and survival analysis gave a worse prognosis to

the solid type of CMCs followed by the tubular complex type.