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.
