Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How major and minor mastectomy affect immunity in dogs with mammary
By Karayannopoulou, Maria et al.·Published in Veterinary immunology and immunopathology·2022·Department of Clinical Studies-Companion Animal Clinic·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of major versus minor mastectomy on host immunity in canine mammary cancer.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 female dogs with malignant mammary tumors underwent either major surgery (total or bilateral mastectomy) or minor surgery (unilateral mastectomy) to see how it affected their immune system. After surgery, those who had major surgery showed higher levels of certain immune cells in their blood, but both groups experienced a decrease in T-lymphocytes, which are important for fighting infections. The findings suggest that minor mastectomy might be less harmful to the dogs' overall immune response compared to major surgery. It's important for pet owners to discuss the best surgical options with their veterinarian to support their dog's health.
People also search for: dog mammary cancer surgery · effects of surgery on dog immunity · canine mastectomy recovery
Abstract
Surgical procedures can affect host immunity proportionally to the extent of surgical trauma. In cancer cases, surgery-induced immunosuppression can potentially promote tumour metastasis. The aim of this study was to investigate, in bitches with malignant mammary tumours, whether major surgery (total unilateral mastectomy or bilateral regional mastectomy) has a more negative effect than minor surgery (unilateral regional mastectomy) on components of host immunity. Twenty bitches with mammary cancer of clinical stage II or III were allocated to group A (minor surgery) or group B (major surgery) of 10 animals each receiving the same anaesthetic protocol for mastectomy. Immune cell measurements in blood [number of leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes and platelets, and relative percentages of T-lymphocytes (CD3) and their CD4, CD8and CD5subpopulations] were performed before anaesthesia (day 0) and on days 3 and 10 post-mastectomy. On day 3, leukocytes, neutrophils and platelets numbers were higher (p = 0.016, 0.032 and 0.017, respectively) in group B than in group A. For all 20 bitches, T-lymphocytes and the CD4, CD5T-cells were significantly decreased on day 3, but no significant differences were noted between groups. Minor mastectomy seemed to preserve innate immunity better than major mastectomy, but cellular immunity was rather equally affected.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35276483/