LAFAYETTE, Ind., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Premalignant lesions in dogs and humans show many similar characteristics that could lead to a better understanding of breast cancer, U.S. researchers said.
The group of Purdue University researchers found similarities between benign lesions considered to carry risk for developing breast cancer in both canines and humans, a discovery that could lead to better understanding of the cancer's progression and prevention, the Lafayette, Ind., university said in a news release.
"Dogs develop these lesions spontaneously in contrast to other available models and are exposed to the same environmental risk factors as humans," said team member Dr. Sulma Mohammed. "These shared features make the dog an ideal model to compare the breast lesions that will progress to cancer and those that will regress. Such a model will facilitate customized treatment and prevention strategies."
The scientists studied 212 tissue biopsies from 200 female dogs with tumors and compared them to human specimens. Mohammed said the study focused the precancerous lesions in the tissue around the tumor.
The research, the work of researchers from Purdue and Sassari University School of Veterinary Medicine in Sardinia, and was published in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
