Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
STAT3 protein activity linked to prognosis in dog liver cancer
By Shin, Hun Kyeong et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2024·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Overactivation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 in Canine Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Its Prognostic Significance.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs with liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) showed higher levels of a protein called pSTAT3, which is linked to tumor growth and spread. Researchers looked at liver tissues from 68 dogs, including healthy livers and those with liver disease, and discovered that higher pSTAT3 levels were associated with larger tumors and a worse chance of survival. This suggests that measuring pSTAT3 could help predict how well a dog with liver cancer might do and could be a target for future treatments. If your dog has liver cancer, discussing pSTAT3 testing with your vet may be beneficial.
Abstract
Phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (pSTAT3), which is related to anti-apoptosis, cellular proliferation, invasion and migration of tumours, has prognostic significance in malignant tumours in humans as well as in canine melanoma. However, the significance of pSTAT3 in canine liver tissues has not yet been evaluated. This study's objective was to compare its expression in canine normal, non-neoplastic hepatic disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues by immunohistochemical analysis. Furthermore, the association between pSTAT3 immunostaining and clinicopathological factors was investigated. Overall, 68 canine liver tissues, including 10 normal liver tissues, 30 non-neoplastic hepatic disease tissues and 28 HCC tissues were examined, revealing distinct differences in pSTAT3 immunostaining among the groups. (p < 0.001). Additionally, high pSTAT3 immunostaining was significantly associated with increased tumour size (5 > cm) (p = 0.041), and metastasis (p = 0.046). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis revealed a correlation between high pSTAT3 immunostaining and poor disease-free survival (p = 0.013) and overall survival (p = 0.011). These findings suggest that overactivation of STAT3 is associated with poor prognosis in canine HCC. Therefore, pSTAT3 is considered a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for canine HCC.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39135335/