[Mammary carcinoma of the female dog: clinical relevance of the immunohistochemical demonstration of micrometastases in the regional lymph nodes].
77 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded mammary carcinomas and the regional lymph nodes of bitches were examined by immunocytochemical technique, all of them free of metastases in routine HE-staining. To compare the two methods, two serial sections were cut of three parts of the lymph nodes. One was used for incubation with the antibody AE1, which reacts with cytokeratin subtype I/A, the other for staining with HE. From 60 of the 77 bitches we received information about the operation and the follow up study period (surgical method, new tumours, survival rate and causes of death). These data were compared with the immunocytochemical results of the lymph nodes. In 84.4% of all 77 lymph nodes tumour cell embolism and/or micrometastases were detected. Comparing the two methods, we found that with HE-staining it was only possible to detect two thirds of all micrometastases containing more than 50 tumor cells. Smaller micrometastases were suspicious in a few cases, the majority could not be detected at all. In the follow up study there was evidence of a better prognosis for bitches with tumours detected in an early stage of growth and treated with radical mastectomy. This was independent of a positive or negative result of tumour cells in lymph nodes. The presence of cancer cells in lymph nodes was only important, if either the tumour was treated in an advanced stage or only single complexes or tumour nodes were extirpated. These dogs often showed metastases in the lung.
Busch
U
U
Tierärztlichen Klinik, Freien Universität Berlin.
Rudolph
R
R
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D002423:Cause of Death; D004283:Dog Diseases; D004285:Dogs; D004617:Embolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D015674:Mammary Neoplasms, Animal / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015409:Mastectomy, Radical / Q000662:veterinary; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors
D000906:Antibodies; D007633:Keratins