Evaluation of Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers in Dogs with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

• Grant number: 25/00148-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Igor Luiz Salardani Senhorello
• Grantee: Ana Júlia Rocha Pinheiro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the primary type of lymphoma in the canine population. Studies reveal that cancer is closely associated with inflammatory factors and individual inflammatory responses, both in veterinary and human medicine. Therefore, the aim of this project is to evaluate the relationships between lymphocytes and monocytes, platelets and lymphocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes, eosinophils and neutrophils, albumin and globulin, as well as other indices such as the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII), as prognostic markers and predictors of neoplasms in dogs with DLBCL. To achieve this, a retrospective cohort study will be conducted, analyzing clinical, hematological, and pathological data of dogs with DLBCL from two institutions. Clinicopathological data will be compared with peripheral blood inflammatory markers in affected dogs. Additionally, a group of healthy dogs (n=20) will be used to establish a cut-off point for each ratio and index and to calculate sensitivity and specificity.Furthermore, survival curves will be generated using the Kaplan-Meier method for each biomarker, based on the cut-off points determined by the ROC curve. This study aims to assess whether differences in inflammatory indicators exist between DLBCL-affected dogs and healthy dogs and whether these relationships are associated with different prognostic clinicopathological factors and survival times. These findings could prove valuable for clinical oncologists, as hematological tests are routinely performed, making this evaluation straightforward and applicable in clinical practice. (AU)