Mammary tumours of the dog and cat. Determination of the
accuracy of survival prognostic parameters, evaluating the
influence of kinetic indices, apoptosis and adhesion molecules
(such as E-cadherin and beta-catenin). Tumour lymphangiogenesis and
survival indices in the cat. Application of a new
genetic-based classification system to canine mammary malignancies.
Metastasis. Myoepithelial cells. Phenotypization of mammary
tumors.
Studies related to various genetic mutations underlying diseases responsible for stillbirth, premature death, or congenital and noncongenital bovine tumors.
Mammary neoplasms in the female dog and cat.
The study of survival parameters has long since been approached
to establish which are more reliable for the survival of carnivores
suffering from malignant mammary neoplasms. Kinetic indices have
been the initial step: mitotic index, proliferation indices
(immunohistochemical expression of Ki67 and PCNA)and apoptotic
index (indicative of programmed cell death). The achieved
information proved that cell turnover is more influenced by an
increased cell production rather than a reduced loss by apoptosis.
More recent immunohistochemical investigations indicated a reduced
expression of adhesion molecules (E-cadherin and beta-catenin)
associated with invasion in mammary malignancies, which is scarcely
correlated with animal survival and kinetic indices, and therefore
with prognosis. Further studies on pathways of lymphatic metastasis
in mammary malignancies of the female cat have demonstrated that
early metastasis does not utilize newly formed
lymphatic vessels (lymphangiogenesis investigated by
laminin/VEGFR-3 immunohistochemical double-labelling), but
preferably tumor cells enter the lymphatic stream via
pre-existinglymphatic vessels to the regional lymph node. The
present investigation is aimed to point out similarities between
tumors of the human breast and canine mammary neoplasms by means of
a panel of antibodies such as cytocheratin 14, 19, 5/6 and vimentin
(all cytoskeletal proteins), hormone receptors (estrogens and
progesterone) and oncoprotein (HERB-b2). The results obtained so
far have allowed the re-classification of mammary tumors of the dog
into the 4 immunophenotypes as in the tumor pathology of the human
breast (Luminal-like-A, luminal-like B, basal-like and HERB-b2
carcinoma), highlighting that the luminal like-A and B share the
same phenotype, but differ in HERB-b2 expression that is considered
an important prognostic index of mammary gland tumors both in the
woman and dog, At present objects of study
are metastasis and myoepithelial cells. Regarding these
latter, aim of the study are the markers of the different types of
myoepithelial cells and their characterization by
immunohistochemistry and, in collaboration with the Royal
Veterinary College of London (UK), by immunofluorescence and cell
cultures. Another investigation concerns the phenotyping of
mammary tumors by means of immunohistochemical and biomolecular
methods, in collaboration with colleagues of the University of
Pisa, and of the University of Maryland (USA).
Anatomohistopathological and immunohistochemical investigations for example on the mutation of limbin gene in Tyrolean grey calves. The
mutation is responsible for joint laxity and chondroplasia of the
long bones of the subjects.
