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Epithelial to mesenchymal transition immunostaining in canine primary mammary tumor and lymph node

ABSTRACT:

Mammary carcinomas in dogs have a high metastatic capacity which gives a shorter survival rate for patients with this type of tumor. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype, characterized by the trade of intermediary filaments of cytokeratin by vimentin, also by the loss of the adhesion protein between cells (E-cadherin) is associated with metastasis. Due to this fact, it was aimed to evaluate, by immunostaining, the expression of vimentin, cytokeratin and E-cadherin in canine mammary tumors and the metastasis in lymph node, in order to assess the cell behavior when facing this cancer. Five cases of canine mammary tumors and metastasis in lymph node were evaluated. The averages of immunostainings of the group of primary neoplasms were compared with the averages of the lymph node group. The results showed that immunostaining for cytokeratins (p=0,1407) and E-caderina (p=0,312) were not significant between the groups, despite the expression mean of cadherin was higher in the metastase group. The expression of vimentin (p=0,04) was greater at sites of metastases. It is concluded that the expression of vimentin increases in the focus of the metastase in relation to their respective primary canine mammary tumors, characterizing cellular structural alteration, conferring a transient epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype. And cadherin present strong evidence of increased focus on metastasis characterizing increased adhesion.

INDEX TERMS:
Dogs; invasion; oncology; proteins; mammary tumors; lymph node

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