Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
EGFR levels linked to tumor relapse in dogs with mammary cancer
By Queiroga, F L et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2017·Department of Veterinary Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Quantification of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in canine mammary tumours by ELISA assay: clinical and prognostic implications.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs with mammary tumors had higher levels of a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) compared to healthy dogs. This increase in EGFR was linked to a higher chance of the cancer coming back or spreading, as well as shorter survival times. In particular, dogs with inflammatory mammary carcinomas had the highest EGFR levels. These findings suggest that measuring EGFR could help veterinarians predict how aggressive a tumor might be and guide treatment options for dogs with serious cases of mammary cancer.
People also search for: dog mammary tumor treatment · high EGFR levels in dogs · canine breast cancer prognosis
Abstract
The involvement of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is well established in human breast cancer, however, in canine mammary tumours (CMT), including inflammatory mammary carcinomas (IMC), still needs to be clarified. Enzyme immune assay techniques were used for EGFR determinations in tumour tissue from 45 bitches with CMT and in normal mammary glands from eight control dogs. Higher tissue EGFR levels were found in CMT compared with controls (P < 0.05). In malignant CMT, tissue EGFR elevated concentrations were statistically significantly associated with tumour relapse and/or distant metastasis during follow-up and with reduced disease-free and overall survival times. The IMC cases had the highest tissue EGFR levels compared with other malignant non-IMC tumours (P < 0.001). The results support the hypothesis that EGFR levels influence prognosis in malignant CMT, suggesting that EGFR may represent a therapeutic target in cases of high histological aggressiveness and especially in cases of metastatic phenotype and poor prognosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26463704/