Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
KIT gene mutations linked to melanoma returning in dogs
By Chu, Pei-Yi et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2013·Department of Pathology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: KIT gene exon 11 mutations in canine malignant melanoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer, was studied to see if certain genetic mutations were present. Researchers found that five of the dogs had a specific mutation in the KIT gene, which is linked to the cancer's behavior. This mutation was associated with a higher chance of the cancer coming back after treatment. All the tumors tested showed varying levels of KIT protein, indicating that these mutations might play a role in how aggressive the cancer is. Understanding these mutations could help veterinarians better predict outcomes for dogs with this type of cancer.
People also search for: dog melanoma treatment · canine skin cancer recurrence · KIT gene mutation in dogs
Abstract
The proto-oncogene KIT encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase which has been shown to be upregulated in canine melanomas. KIT mutations lead to constitutive phosphorylation and activation of KIT in the absence of ligand binding. The presence of KIT mutations and KIT protein expression was examined in a cohort of 49 dogs with canine malignant melanoma. An exon 11 synonymous nucleotide 1743C→T mutation was identified in five cases in which one also harbored a L579P mutation. Tumors that harbored the KIT exon 11 mutation(s) correlated significantly with disease recurrence (P = 0.05). All 36 melanomas available for immunohistochemical analysis showed either weak (16 cases, 44.4%) or strong (20 cases, 55.6%) expression of the KIT protein. The five KIT mutation carriers were all strongly positive for KIT by immunohistochemical staining. These findings suggest that a subset of canine malignant melanomas harbors a KIT exon 11 mutation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23069279/