Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Clinical techniques in small animal molecular oncology.
- Journal:
- Clinical techniques in small animal practice
- Year:
- 2003
- Authors:
- Bergman, Philip J
- Affiliation:
- Animal Medical Center · United States
Plain-English summary
This research discusses how veterinarians diagnose and treat tumors in pets, particularly dogs and cats. Traditionally, they have relied on methods that look at the size and spread of tumors, but these methods can sometimes lead to confusing results. For example, two dogs with the same type of tumor might respond very differently to treatment, even if everything else seems identical. Recently, scientists have found new factors at the molecular level that could help predict how a pet will respond to treatment, which could improve the way we assess and manage cancer in animals. The study suggests that using a combination of these new factors along with traditional methods could lead to better outcomes for pets with cancer.
Abstract
The diagnosis, staging, and treatment of tumors in veterinary as well as human oncology have traditionally incorporated elements of anatomic extent of neoplasia through various clinical and pathologic methods. These clinicopathological methods have been the basis for the development of the tumor, node, and metastasis and grading systems, which have translated into clinically significant advances over the last 20 to 30 years. Unfortunately, there continues to be significant limitations to this system when prognostication and therapeutic decisions need to be made specific to a patient. For example, completely resected and cleanly staged phenotypically identical grade II mast cell tumors in dogs can have opposing clinical outcomes. In addition, dogs or cats with identical stage and grade lymphoma can have significantly divergent responses to the same multi-agent chemotherapy protocol. Numerous nonanatomic neoplastic molecular prognostic factors have been recently identified and have the potential to improve on the presently available tumor, node, and metastasis- and grading-based systems. To date in human oncology, single nonanatomic factors have only occasionally translated into efficient and independent prognostic factors, which speaks to the heterogeneity of cancer. Therefore, the use of panels of factors have been encouraged that will allow for the development of a molecular prognostic index, which can then be used in concert with presently available systems. This review will summarize how to best utilize presently available tumor, node, and metastasis- and grading-based systems, and incorporate newly available molecular prognostic factors.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12831067/