Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood protein differences in dogs with oral cancer versus non-cancer
By Ploypetch, Sekkarin et al.·Published in Veterinary medicine and science·2026·Department of Clinical Sciences and Public Health·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum Proteomic Analysis Using Gel-Based Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Reveals Differences Between Canine Oral Malignancies and Non-Malignant Conditions.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with oral cancer, including those with melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma, had their blood tested to find potential biomarkers that could help with diagnosis and treatment. Researchers found specific proteins in the blood that were different in dogs with cancer compared to those with benign tumors or healthy dogs. These proteins could help veterinarians choose the best chemotherapy drugs and improve treatment outcomes for dogs suffering from oral cancer. This study suggests that blood tests might become a useful tool in managing canine oral malignancies.
People also search for: dog oral cancer treatment · canine melanoma blood test · chemotherapy for dog squamous cell carcinoma
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine oral cancers are difficult to manage due to complex biology and a lack of non-invasive biomarkers. Proteomic approaches, particularly gel-based liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GeLC-MS/MS), have been used on tissue and saliva, but serum remains obscure despite its clinical accessibility and ability to reflect systemic disease. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated GeLC-MS/MS for serum proteomic profiling in canine oral malignancies, compared to benign and healthy conditions. METHODS: We analysed 62 serum samples from dogs with oral melanoma (OM, n = 28), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC, n = 10), benign tumours (BN, n = 12) and controls (healthy/periodontitis, n = 12) using GeLC-MS/MS-based proteomics. RESULTS: Significant protein expression differences emerged across groups. In OM and OSCC, phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) was upregulated, while ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 3 (OAZ3), centriolar coiled-coil protein 110 (CCP110), non-specific serine/threonine protein kinase 8 (NEK8), receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase F (PTPRF) and interleukin 23 receptor (IL23R) were downregulated. These proteins are linked to critical pathways, including insulin signalling, insulin resistance, adherens junctions and cell cycle regulation, highlighting their roles in cancer progression and showing potential interactions with common chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin, cisplatin and cyclophosphamide. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that GeLC-MS/MS-based serum proteomics can successfully identify candidate biomarkers for canine oral malignancies. The discovery of these protein signatures represents promising diagnostic and prognostic targets, with the potential to guide chemotherapeutic selection and improve clinical outcomes in dogs with oral cancer.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42035449/