Hemangiosarcoma: A Systematic Review of Biomarkers in Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Therapeutic Strategies.

Abstract

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) in dogs is a malignant vascular tumour that exhibits rapid growth, frequent early metastasis, and resistance to conventional therapies, often resulting in short survival times. Building on our previous systematic review of biomarkers in human angiosarcoma, this review focuses specifically on the canine counterpart, synthesizing current evidence on diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers. A comprehensive PRISMA-compliant search of PubMed and Embase was conducted for studies published from 1996 through 2024, inclusive. Fifty-one eligible studies were identified and assessed for methodological quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. This review highlights promising protein, molecular, and haematological biomarker candidates, evaluates their clinical relevance, and identifies key gaps in the literature and existing knowledge. By drawing parallels to human angiosarcoma research, this work lays the foundation for comparative oncology efforts and supports the development of novel diagnostic tools and targeted therapies for canine HSA.