Survey radiography and computerized tomography imaging of the thorax in female dogs with mammary tumors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Accurate early diagnosis of lung metastases is important for establishing therapeutic measures. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare survey thoracic radiographs and computerized tomography (CT) scans to specifically identify lung metastases in female dogs with mammary tumors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty-one female dogs, weighing 3 to 34 kg and aged from 5 years to 14 years and 10 months, with mammary tumors were studied. In all dogs before the imaging examinations, fine-needle aspiration cytology of the mammary tumors was performed to confirm the diagnosis. Three-view thoracic radiographs were accomplished: right lateral, left lateral and ventrodorsal views. Sequential transverse images of the thorax were acquired on a spiral Scanner, before and after intravenous bolus injection of nonionic iodine contrast. Soft-tissue and lung windows were applied. All the mammary tumors were surgically removed and examined histologically.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The correlation between the cytological and histological results regarding presence of malignancy was observed in only 17 cases. In radiographic examinations, no dog displayed signs of lung metastases or thorax chest lesions. CT detected lung metastasis in two cases, while small areas of lung atelectasis located peripherally were found in 28.57% of the dogs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study population, spiral CT showed higher sensitivity than chest radiographies to detect lung metastasis; this indicates that CT should be performed on all female dogs with malignant mammary tumors.</p

CYR61, a cellular proliferation marker in dogs with prostatic disease

The life expectancy of dogs is increasing and is associated with a greater frequency of age-related disease, including that of the prostate gland. A marker of cell proliferation, CYR61, may be detected in a number of conditions in humans, including hyperplasia and neoplasia. The objective of the present study was to investigate the degree of CYR61 expression in a number of different prostate diseases in dogs in order to understand the potential of this marker for diagnosis of prostatic disease. Immunohistochemistry with a CYR61 antibody was performed on prostatic tissue from 22 dogs with different diseases. Intense stromal staining was observed in cases of prostatic dysplasia and benign prostate hyperplasia. In contrast, CYR61 staining was very intense in alveolar epithelial cells in cases of epithelial benign prostate hyperplasia and one case of adenocarcinoma. An obvious CYR61 staining pattern was absent in cases of prostatitis. In conclusion, CYR61 may be a useful marker of cell proliferation in a number of prostatic pathologies, although further studies of normal tissue are warranted. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Early Changes Induced by Short-Term Low-Dose Cadmium Exposure in Rat Ventral and Dorsolateral Prostates

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. The etiology of PCa in humans is multifactorial and includes age, ethnicity, environmental factors, and other unknown causes. Epidemiological and experimental evidence has shown that cadmium is associated with PCa both in humans and rodents. This metal can act as an endocrine disruptor during prostate development, and it induces prostate lesions late in life. In this study, we investigated the effects of low-dose cadmium on rat prostate morphology during puberty. Two-month-old male Wistar rats were randomized into two experimental groups: cadmium-treated and control. The ventral and dorsolateral prostates were dissected, weighed, and immunohistochemically stained with specific antibodies against Ki-67 and the androgen receptor (AR). The concentration of cadmium was measured in the blood and prostate, and testosterone concentration was measured from the plasma. Our results show that cadmium concentration was increased in both the blood and the prostate of cadmium-treated rats, but there were no changes in the prostatic weight, epithelial cell height, or testosterone levels. However, AR immunostaining and epithelial cell proliferation (Ki-67 index) were increased in both prostates with an increase in apoptosis only in the dorsal lobe. Furthermore, atypical hyperplasic proliferative lesions were found in the dorsolateral lobe after cadmium exposure. Cadmium treatment reduced collagen fiber absolute volume in both prostates. Thus, low-doses of cadmium, even for a short period of time, can interfere with prostate epithelium-stroma homeostasis, and this disruption might be an important factor in the onset of prostate lesions late in life. Microsc. Res. Tech. 74: 988-997, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Pathology

The purpose of this paper is to establish criteria that could guide the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of canine mammary neoplasias. It was elaborated during the Mammary Pathology Meeting: Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment of the Canine Mammary Neoplasm, held on November 6th and 7th, 2010 in Belo Horizonte – MG, Brazil, sponsored by the Laboratory of Comparative Pathology – 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

Cross-species oncogenomics offers insight into human muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Background: In humans, muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is highly aggressive and associated with a poor prognosis. With a high mutation load and large number of altered genes, strategies to delineate key driver events are necessary. Dogs and cats develop urothelial carcinoma (UC) with histological and clinical similarities to human MIBC. Cattle that graze on bracken fern also develop UC, associated with exposure to the carcinogen ptaquiloside. These species may represent relevant animal models of spontaneous and carcinogen-induced UC that can provide insight into human MIBC. Results: Whole-exome sequencing of domestic canine (n = 87) and feline (n = 23) UC, and comparative analysis with human MIBC reveals a lower mutation rate in animal cases and the absence of APOBEC mutational signatures. A convergence of driver genes (ARID1A, KDM6A, TP53, FAT1, and NRAS) is discovered, along with common focally amplified and deleted genes involved in regulation of the cell cycle and chromatin remodelling. We identify mismatch repair deficiency in a subset of canine and feline UCs with biallelic inactivation of MSH2. Bovine UC (n = 8) is distinctly different; we identify novel mutational signatures which are recapitulated in vitro in human urinary bladder UC cells treated with bracken fern extracts or purified ptaquiloside. Conclusion: Canine and feline urinary bladder UC represent relevant models of MIBC in humans, and cross-species analysis can identify evolutionarily conserved driver genes. We characterize mutational signatures in bovine UC associated with bracken fern and ptaquiloside exposure, a human-linked cancer exposure. Our work demonstrates the relevance of cross-species comparative analysis in understanding both human and animal UC

Cross-species oncogenomics offers insight into human muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Background: In humans, muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is highly aggressive and associated with a poor prognosis. With a high mutation load and large number of altered genes, strategies to delineate key driver events are necessary. Dogs and cats develop urothelial carcinoma (UC) with histological and clinical similarities to human MIBC. Cattle that graze on bracken fern also develop UC, associated with exposure to the carcinogen ptaquiloside. These species may represent relevant animal models of spontaneous and carcinogen-induced UC that can provide insight into human MIBC. Results: Whole-exome sequencing of domestic canine (n = 87) and feline (n = 23) UC, and comparative analysis with human MIBC reveals a lower mutation rate in animal cases and the absence of APOBEC mutational signatures. A convergence of driver genes (ARID1A, KDM6A, TP53, FAT1, and NRAS) is discovered, along with common focally amplified and deleted genes involved in regulation of the cell cycle and chromatin remodelling. We identify mismatch repair deficiency in a subset of canine and feline UCs with biallelic inactivation of MSH2. Bovine UC (n = 8) is distinctly different; we identify novel mutational signatures which are recapitulated in vitro in human urinary bladder UC cells treated with bracken fern extracts or purified ptaquiloside. Conclusion: Canine and feline urinary bladder UC represent relevant models of MIBC in humans, and cross-species analysis can identify evolutionarily conserved driver genes. We characterize mutational signatures in bovine UC associated with bracken fern and ptaquiloside exposure, a human-linked cancer exposure. Our work demonstrates the relevance of cross-species comparative analysis in understanding both human and animal UC