Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Detecting bladder cancer cells in dog urine with 5-ALA dye
By Kenjiro Kaji et al.·Published in Animals·2022·Department of Veterinary Clinical Pathobiology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Detection of Canine Urothelial Carcinoma Cells in Urine Using 5-Aminolevulinic Acid
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with diagnosed bladder cancer (urothelial carcinoma) had their urine tested using a special substance called 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) to see if it could help detect cancer cells. The results showed that the urine from these dogs glowed brighter under a special light compared to healthy dogs, indicating the presence of cancer cells. This method was found to be quite accurate, with a 90% chance of correctly identifying cancer and an 86% chance of ruling it out. The brightness of the glow also seemed to relate to how advanced the cancer was, suggesting that 5-ALA could help not only in diagnosis but also in understanding the severity of the disease.
People also search for: dog bladder cancer symptoms · urine test for dog cancer · 5-ALA for canine urothelial carcinoma
Abstract
This study aimed to establish a method to detect canine urothelial carcinoma cells in urine using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) and to evaluate its diagnostic accuracy. Urine samples were collected from 21 dogs diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma and three urothelial carcinoma cell lines were used. Urine samples obtained from seven healthy dogs were used as controls. Cells in the urine sediment, or urothelial carcinoma cell lines, were cultured with 5-ALA and then observed under a fluorescence microscope. Moreover, we examined the relationship between fluorescence intensity and the presence of metastasis as well as tumor invasion into the bladder wall in cases of urothelial carcinoma. Urine-derived cells from urothelial carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma cell lines showed clearer red fluorescence with the addition of 5-ALA compared to that exhibited by the cells from healthy dogs. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma were 90% and 86%, respectively. Significant associations were found between fluorescence intensity and tumor metastasis and bladder wall invasion. This study showed that 5-ALA can be used to detect urothelial carcinoma cells in dogs with relatively high diagnostic accuracy. Further, the fluorescence intensity of tumor cells caused by 5-ALA correlated with the clinical condition of urothelial carcinoma cases, which suggested that 5-ALA could be used as a prognostic marker for canine urothelial carcinoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12040485