Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
COX-2 enzyme found in malignant melanomas of dogs' skin, mouth
By Pires, I et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2010·Department of Veterinary Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: COX-1 and COX-2 expression in canine cutaneous, oral and ocular melanocytic tumours.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at different types of skin, mouth, and eye tumors in dogs to see if certain medications could help treat malignant melanoma, a serious type of skin cancer. The researchers found that while most tumors showed a protein called COX-1, only the malignant tumors had higher levels of another protein, COX-2, which could be targeted with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This suggests that using COX-2 inhibitors might be a promising treatment option for dogs with malignant melanoma.
People also search for: dog melanoma treatment · NSAIDs for dog cancer · canine skin tumor COX-2 inhibitors
Abstract
In order to evaluate the potential value of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the treatment of canine malignant melanoma, expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 was determined in 20 cutaneous, nine oral and two ocular malignant melanomas, and in nine cutaneous melanocytomas. Almost all tumours expressed COX-1, but COX-2 expression was restricted to the malignant tumours being found in 11 of the 20 cutaneous malignant melanomas, all oral malignant melanomas and in one of two ocular malignant melanomas. COX-1 expression did not differ significantly between benign and malignant skin lesions, but COX-2 expression was significantly greater in cutaneous malignant melanoma compared with melanocytoma (P=0.047). COX-2 labelling was particularly intense in the more highly malignant oral tumours. The results of the study suggest that NSAIDs, particularly COX-2 inhibitors, may be useful in the treatment of canine malignant melanoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20207364/