Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survivin and beta-catenin protein levels in dog perivascular wall
By Godizzi, Francesco et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2024·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (DIVAS), Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Survivin, β-catenin, and ki-67 immunohistochemical expression in canine perivascular wall tumors: Preliminary assessment of prognostic significance.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 41 dogs with perivascular wall tumors, which are a type of soft tissue tumor. Researchers found that higher levels of a protein called survivin in the tumor cells were linked to a greater risk of death, suggesting that this protein could help predict how serious the cancer is. They also noted that larger tumors were more likely to come back after treatment and were associated with shorter survival times. This information could help veterinarians assess the prognosis for dogs with these tumors and explore new treatment options targeting survivin and another protein called beta-catenin.
People also search for: dog perivascular wall tumor prognosis · survivin in dog tumors · treatment for dog soft tissue tumors
Abstract
High survivin expression has been correlated with poor outcomes in several canine tumors but not in soft tissue tumors (STTs). Survivin is a target gene of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which is involved in human STT oncogenesis. Immunohistochemistry for survivin, β-catenin, and Ki-67 was performed on 41 canine perivascular wall tumors (cPWTs), and statistical associations of protein expression and histopathologic and clinical variables with clinical outcomes were investigated. Immunohistochemically, there was nuclear positivity (0.9%-12.2% of tumor cells) for survivin in 41/41 (100%), cytoplasmic positivity (0 to > 75% of tumor cells) for survivin in 31/41 (76%), nuclear positivity (2.9%-67.2% of tumor cells) for β-catenin in 24/41 (59%), and cytoplasmic positivity (0% to > 75% of tumor cells) for β-catenin in 23/41 (56%) of cPWTs. All tumors expressed nuclear Ki-67 (2.2%-23.5%). In univariate analysis and multivariate analysis (UA and MA, respectively), every 1% increase of nuclear survivin was associated with an increase of the instantaneous death risk by a factor of 1.15 [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.15;= .007]. Higher nuclear survivin was associated with grade II/III neoplasms (= .043). Expression of cytoplasmic survivin, nuclear and cytoplasmic β-catenin, and nuclear Ki-67 were not significantly associated with prognosis in UA nor MA. Tumor size was a significant prognostic factor for local recurrence in UA [subdistribution HR (SDHR) = 1.19;= .02] and for reduced overall survival time in MA. According to UA and MA, a unitary increase of mitotic count was associated with an increase of the instantaneous death risk by a factor of 1.05 (HR = 1.05;= .014). Nuclear survivin, mitotic count, and tumor size seem to be potential prognostic factors for cPWTs. In addition, survivin and β-catenin may represent promising therapeutic targets for cPWTs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38727195/