Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How obesity affects mammary tumors in female dogs
By Lim, H-Y et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2015·Department of Veterinary Pathology, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of Obesity and Obesity-Related Molecules on Canine Mammary Gland Tumors.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that overweight or obese female dogs are more likely to develop mammary gland tumors (breast cancer in dogs) at a younger age compared to those at a healthy weight. The research showed that these tumors were often more aggressive in overweight dogs, with higher levels of certain molecules linked to obesity that may promote tumor growth. This suggests that maintaining a healthy weight could be important for reducing the risk and severity of mammary tumors in female dogs.
People also search for: dog mammary tumor symptoms · overweight dog cancer risk · female dog breast cancer treatment
Abstract
Obesity can affect the clinical course of a number of diseases, including breast cancer in women and mammary gland tumors in female dogs, via the secretion of various cytokines and hormones. The objective of this study was to examine the expression patterns of obesity-related molecules such as aromatase, leptin, and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1 R) in canine mammary carcinomas (CMCs) on the basis of the body condition score (BCS). Comparative analyses of the expression of these molecules, together with prognostic factors for CMCs, including hormone receptors (HRs; estrogen and progesterone receptors), lymphatic invasion, central necrosis of the tumor, and histologic grade, were performed on 56 CMCs. The mean age of CMC onset was lower in the overweight or obese group (8.7 ± 1.9 years) than in the lean or ideal body weight group (10.4 ± 2.7 years). The proportion of poorly differentiated (grade III) tumors was significantly higher in the overweight or obese female dogs. Aromatase expression was significantly higher in the overweight or obese group and was correlated with the expression of HRs (P = .025). These findings suggest that overweight or obese status might affect the development and behavior of CMCs by tumor-adipocyte interactions and increased HR-related tumor growth.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25883120/