title: The relationship between tumour size and expression of prognostic markers in benign and malignant canine mammary tumours.
abstract: Tumour size is considered one of the most important determinants of clinical staging in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to assess the value of tumour size as an indicator of the differentiation of mammary neoplasias in female dogs. The tumour, nodes metastates (TNM) system, based on primary lesion size, the extent of its dissemination to regional lymph nodes and the presence or absence of distant metastases, was applied to 120 female dogs diagnosed with mammary neoplasias. Paraffin blocks from 38 cases were selected and studied by immunohistochemical staining for prognostic and predictive markers of breast cancer. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was estimated for 110 female dogs. Larger tumours (T3) were mostly malignant and showed lower expression of progesterone receptor and higher expression of cellular proliferation markers. Global survival time was shorter in female dogs with large tumour masses. This study highlights the importance of tumour size as a prognostic indicator of mammary neoplasias in female dogs.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Comparative Pathology, Department of General Pathology, Institute of Biological Science, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 486 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Bertagnolli
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Cavalcanti
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Cassali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology*; D015674:Mammary Neoplasms, Animal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor