Abstract
The involvement of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is well established in human breast cancer, however, in canine mammary tumours (CMT), including inflammatory mammary carcinomas (IMC), still needs to be clarified. Enzyme immune assay techniques were used for EGFR determinations in tumour tissue from 45 bitches with CMT and in normal mammary glands from eight control dogs. Higher tissue EGFR levels were found in CMT compared with controls (P < 0.05). In malignant CMT, tissue EGFR elevated concentrations were statistically significantly associated with tumour relapse and/or distant metastasis during follow-up and with reduced disease-free and overall survival times. The IMC cases had the highest tissue EGFR levels compared with other malignant non-IMC tumours (P < 0.001). The results support the hypothesis that EGFR levels influence prognosis in malignant CMT, suggesting that EGFR may represent a therapeutic target in cases of high histological aggressiveness and especially in cases of metastatic phenotype and poor prognosis.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have