Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Metastatic skin cancer linked to papillomaviruses in two Basenji dogs
By Luff, J et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2016·North Carolina State University, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Two Canine Papillomaviruses Associated With Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Two Related Basenji Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two related Basenji dogs developed skin growths that turned into aggressive squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Initially, these growths were pigmented plaques, which are usually benign, but they progressed to a more serious condition. Tests showed that the cancer was linked to two different canine papillomaviruses, which are viruses that can sometimes cause skin issues in dogs. Unfortunately, both dogs had a severe outcome due to the cancer, highlighting the importance of monitoring any unusual skin changes in pets.
People also search for: Basenji dog skin cancer · papillomavirus in dogs · dog pigmented plaques treatment
Abstract
Papillomaviruses (PV) are associated with benign mucosal and cutaneous epithelial proliferations. In dogs, PV-associated pigmented plaques and papillomas can undergo malignant transformation, but this is rare, and most cases of canine squamous cell carcinoma do not arise from PV-induced precursor lesions. We describe herein the progression of pigmented plaques to invasive and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma associated with 2 canine papillomaviruses (CPV) in 2 related Basenji dogs. Immunohistochemistry for PV antigen revealed strong nuclear immunoreactivity within keratinocytes from pigmented plaques from both dogs, consistent with a productive viral infection. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using degenerate primers for the L1 gene revealed PV DNA sequences from 2 different CPVs. In situ hybridization for CPV revealed strong hybridization signals within the pigmented plaques and neoplastic squamous epithelial cells from both dogs. We report here progression of PV-associated pigmented plaques to metastatic squamous cell carcinoma within 2 Basenji dogs associated with 2 different CPVs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26945002/