COMPARISON OF E-CADHERIN, KI-67, COX-2 AND RECEPTOR TYROSINE KINASE EXPRESSION IN UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA AND INFLAMMATORY BLADDER LESIONS IN DOGS

• Grant number: 25/01341-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Renee Laufer Amorim
• Grantee: Fernanda de Freitas Alves Vieira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Urothelial carcinomas (UC) represent 2% of malignant neoplasms in small animals and are the most common neoplasms of the canine urinary tract. In humans, urothelial carcinoma of the bladder is the 7th most common cancer in men and the 17th in women. In dogs and humans, this neoplasm presents clinical and histopathological similarities, which makes its study even more necessary and significant. The urothelium of the canine urinary bladder may present proliferative lesions of an inflammatory and/or neoplastic nature. Differentiation in imaging exams between inflammatory and neoplastic lesions is difficult, since in both cases there may be mass formation. The genetic test for BRAF mutation is indicated as a diagnosis of UC, but false positives have already been observed. Therefore, the most indicated exam for accurate diagnosis is histopathology, and in some cases the use of immunohistochemical markers is necessary for further diagnostic elucidation. The enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) plays an important role in carcinogenesis, especially due to its ability to inhibit apoptosis. E-cadherin is a protein related to tumor invasiveness, and Ki-67 is a marker of cell proliferation, all of which are commonly used in the diagnosis and/or prognosis of various epithelial neoplasms, with COX-2 being well established in urothelial carcinomas. Treatment of urothelial carcinomas includes surgery and medication, with the use of chemotherapy, cyclooxygenase inhibitors and tyrosine kinase receptors inhibitors. Therefore, it is necessary to study the expression of tyrosine kinase receptors, enzymes responsible for regulating cell growth and differentiation, to establish possible target therapies. The aim of this study is to evaluate differences in the expressions of E-cadherin, Ki-67 and COX-2 to discriminate neoplastic from non-neoplastic lesions and, furthermore, to investigate the expression of tyrosine kinase receptors in bladder urothelial carcinomas.