Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Immune cells in canine anal sac gland cancer and tumor features
By Barbara Bacci et al.Ā·Published in AnimalsĀ·2024Ā·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Bologna, Italy, CHĀ·View original on DOAJ ā
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Original publication title: The Immune Contexture in Canine Anal Sac Adenocarcinoma: Immunohistochemical Quantification of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Tumor-Associated Macrophages with Image Analysis
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at dogs with anal sac gland adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that can spread aggressively. Researchers found that certain immune cells, like T cells and macrophages, were present in the tumors and could indicate how the cancer behaves. They discovered that dogs without metastasis (spread of cancer) had more T cells, while those with metastasis had more macrophages. This suggests that the balance of these immune cells might influence whether the cancer spreads. Understanding these immune responses could help veterinarians predict outcomes and tailor treatments for affected dogs.
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Abstract
Canine anal sac gland adenocarcinomas (ASACs) are locally aggressive and highly metastatic to regional lymph nodes. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) can be effective prognostic and predictive markers in numerous human neoplasms and are increasingly investigated in dogs. The aim of this study was to characterize immune cells in canine ASACs and their relationship with tumor size, histologic metastatic status, and tumor clinical stage. Thirty ASACs with known tumor size, metastatic status, and clinical stage were immunolabeled for Iba1 (macrophages), CD20 (B cells), CD3 (T cells), and Foxp3 (regulatory T cells). With image analysis, two areas of 1 mm<sup>2</sup> were analyzed for each case at the tumor core (TC) and invasive margin (IM) and immune cells were counted. Eighteen patients had metastasis at the time of diagnosis, of which fifteen were nodal only, and three were both distant and nodal. The median tumor size was 32.5 mm (range 11ā70). The clinical stage was I in five cases, II in seven cases, III in fifteen cases, and IV in three cases. T cells and macrophages were the most abundant immune cells in all tumors. Tumor size did not influence the number or type of infiltrating immune cells. By contrast, significantly higher numbers of TC T lymphocytes were found in patients without metastasis, while significantly higher numbers of TC macrophages were found in dogs with metastasis. Immune cell infiltrate did not differ according to clinical stage. The results indicate that the tumor immune microenvironment, specifically TILs and TAMs, contribute to tumor behavior and may influence metastatic potential; in particular, high CD3 infiltration may prevent tumor progression, while increased macrophage infiltration could promote it.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14243696