Comparative gene expression study highlights molecular similarities between triple negative breast cancer tumours and feline mammary carcinomas
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a rare, highly metastatic subtype of breast cancer that typically develops tumours of a high histological grade. As TNBC is negative for the oestrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors it is also not eligible for targeted hormonal therapies.
Therefore, those diagnosed with TNBC are faced with a very poor prognosis. Feline mammary carcinomas (FMCs) have been shown to share key characteristics of TNBC and are being investigated as novel animal models of this disease. A study by Granados-Soler et al., investigating prognostic markers of FMCs provided the basis of this research, and their prognostic value in TNBC was evaluated using a ‘data-mining’ research approach.
Overall, the comparative genomic aspect of this research identified several potential prognostic markers translatable across TNBC and FMCs. These prognostic markers warrant further investigation in comparative oncology studies.
Comparative oncology, which involves integrating naturally occurring cancers in companion animals into studies focusing on human cancer, holds promise in accelerating cancer drug discovery and development. This research approach offers many advantages that overcome the main limitations associated with traditional rodent models. These include the failure of rodents to accurately replicate the biological properties and genetic diversity of human cancer, as well as predicting the effects of therapeutic changes and tumour-immune system interactions in human subjects. In comparison, spontaneously occurring tumours in animals develop naturally over a long period of time, grow in the presence of an intact immune system and share histological features with tumours of their human counterpart. These companion animals also share the same external environment as humans and are therefore exposed to the same environmental toxins and carcinogens.
Authors: Lara Sommerville, Jane Howard, Shane Evans, Pamela Kelly, Amanda McCann
Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
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