Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood tests for hidden cancer and inflammation in healthy dogs
By Selting, K A et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2015·Department of Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum thymidine kinase 1 and C-reactive protein as biomarkers for screening clinically healthy dogs for occult disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at blood tests for 360 healthy dogs to see if they could help spot hidden diseases, especially cancer. They measured two markers: thymidine kinase (TK1), which is linked to cancer, and C-reactive protein (cCRP), which indicates inflammation. The results showed that dogs with high cCRP levels had a much higher risk of serious health issues, including cancer, compared to those with low levels. Using both markers together improved the chances of detecting hidden problems early. This means regular blood tests could help catch serious conditions before symptoms appear.
People also search for: dog cancer screening blood test · elevated C-reactive protein in dogs · thymidine kinase levels in dogs
Abstract
Thymidine kinase (TK1) is a biomarker that correlates well with diagnosis and prognosis in certain canine cancers. Canine C-reactive protein (cCRP) is a widely accepted marker of inflammation correlated with increased risk and severity of various diseases. We evaluated serum TK1 and cCRP concentrations in apparently healthy dogs (n = 360). All dogs were followed up for a minimum of 6 months by health questionnaire. All dogs with cancer were identified using a proprietary dual-biomarker algorithm [termed Neoplasia Index (NI)]. Specificity of positive NI is 0.91 and high positive is 0.98. All-cause mortality was 20% in dogs with elevated cCRP and 3% in dogs with low cCRP. The performance of serum TK1 and cCRP as tools for screening for occult cancer is improved when evaluated together. Serum TK1 and cCRP (unified in the NI) are useful in the screening of occult canine cancer. cCRP is useful in screening for other serious diseases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23859156/