Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline HER2 protein expression levels and gene status in feline mammary carcinoma: optimization of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) techniques.
- Journal:
- Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada
- Year:
- 2013
- Authors:
- Soares, Maria et al.
- Affiliation:
- CIISA
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
This study looked at a specific protein called fHER2 in cats with mammary cancer, which is similar to a protein in humans that can indicate a more serious form of breast cancer. Researchers used special techniques to check how much of this protein was present in cat tumors and found that it was overexpressed, or present in higher amounts, in about one-third of the cases they studied. However, they did not find evidence of gene changes that are often associated with more aggressive tumors. The findings suggest that understanding fHER2 in cats could help improve how we diagnose and treat this type of cancer in veterinary medicine. Overall, the research indicates that while fHER2 is present in some cases, more work is needed to fully understand its role in feline mammary carcinoma.
Abstract
Human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) is a tumor biomarker that when overexpressed and/or amplified is associated with a poor prognosis for women with breast cancer. This specific tumor subtype is eligible for a specific immunotherapy that increases survival period. However, in feline oncology, only a few studies have been performed on molecular characterization of feline (fHER2) in feline mammary carcinoma (FMC), and the available data are inconsistent. In this study, fHER2 protein levels and gene status in FMC were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. After being optimized, these techniques revealed that fHER2 is overexpressed in 33% of FMC cases, although fHER2 and fTOP2A gene amplification could not be observed. Our results support the possibility of using FMC as a natural model for comparative oncology. Additional data obtained may also improve the diagnostics, and consequently the treatment, of this type of tumor in veterinary medicine.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23718944/