Evaluation of systemic inflammatory biomarkers in female dogs with malignant mammary tumors

• Grant number: 24/20621-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Igor Luiz Salardani Senhorello
• Grantee: Maria Vitória Magalhães Dias
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Canine mammary neoplasms (CMNs) are the most common tumors in female dogs. Studies in humans and animals indicate that cancer is associated with alterations in the inflammatory response. Therefore, the objective of this project is to evaluate the relationships between neutrophils-lymphocytes, lymphocytes-monocytes, platelets-lymphocytes, eosinophils-neutrophils, in addition to the Prognostic Nutritional and Systemic Immunoinflammation Index as prognostic markers and predictors of neoplasia in female dogs with breast cancer. To this end, a retrospective cohort study will be performed evaluating the hematological, imaging, and histopathological exams of female dogs with mammary neoplasias treated at the "Luiz Quintiliano de Oliveira" Veterinary Hospital of FMVA-UNESP. Clinicopathological data will be compared with peripheral blood inflammatory markers in sick dogs. In addition, a group of healthy dogs will be used to establish a cutoff point for the relationships and calculate sensitivity and specificity. This study aims to evaluate whether there is a difference between inflammation indicators in dogs with malignant mammary neoplasia and healthy dogs and whether these relationships are associated with different prognostic clinical-pathological factors and overall survival time. These data may be useful for clinical oncologists since hematological tests are routinely performed, making this evaluation simple and applicable to routine.