Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bcl-2 and Bax protein levels in lymph nodes of dogs with lymphoma
By Meichner, K et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·Department of Population Health and Pathobiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Expression of Apoptosis-regulating Proteins Bcl-2 and Bax in Lymph Node Aspirates from Dogs with Lymphoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 55 dogs with multicentric lymphoma (a type of cancer affecting the lymph nodes) was studied to see how certain proteins (Bcl-2 and Bax) related to their prognosis. The research found that dogs with T-cell lymphoma had higher levels of the Bcl-2 protein compared to those with B-cell lymphoma and healthy dogs. This higher level of Bcl-2 may indicate a poorer response to treatment and a shorter survival time. However, the difference in survival time between the two groups was not statistically significant, suggesting that more research is needed to understand the implications of these protein levels in lymphoma treatment.
People also search for: dog lymphoma treatment · T-cell lymphoma in dogs · Bcl-2 protein in dog cancer
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dysregulated apoptosis is a hallmark of tumorigenesis, and is also involved in resistance to cytotoxic treatment, and might be relevant in lymphoma in dogs. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: That Bcl-2/Bax expression patterns differ between lymphoma immunophenotypes, and that Bcl-2/Bax ratio is correlated with prognosis. ANIMALS: Fifty-five client-owned dogs with multicentric lymphoma and 5 healthy dogs. METHODS: Prospective, case-control study. We compared 3 methods (flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, Western blot) for Bcl-2 and Bax quantification in a subset of dogs. The effect of time on Bcl-2/Bax ratios measured by flow cytometry was assessed in lymphoma cell lines. Immunophenotype and Bcl-2/Bax expression by flow cytometry were determined in LN aspirates from all dogs with multicentric lymphoma compared to healthy dogs. Progression-free survival (PFS) was retrospectively evaluated in a group of dogs all receiving similar treatment. RESULTS: Bcl-2/Bax ratios remain consistent for at least 5 days after sample collection. Bcl-2/Bax ratio was higher in dogs with T-cell lymphoma (TCL; median 0.97, range 0.37-1.36) compared to B-cell lymphoma (BCL; median 0.36, range 0.07-1.45) (P < .0001) and normal dogs (median 0.36, range 0.21-0.48) (P = .0006), respectively. Dogs with Bcl-2/Bax ratios higher than the median of the group experienced a median PFS of 101 days and dogs with ratios equal and lower than the median had PFS of 130 days (P = .19). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Higher intrinsic resistance to apoptosis following cytotoxic treatment might contribute to the less favorable prognosis associated with multicentric TCL in dogs. Whether Bcl-2/Bax will be helpful to identify canine BCL and TCL with more aggressive and more indolent behavior, respectively, should be evaluated in larger prospective clinical studies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27013187/