[Update on animal models for testing innovative antineoplastic strategies: the mammary tumor in dogs]

In this study, the authors describe a new possible animal model to test new anticancer therapies. The selected animals are domestic animals such as dogs, which develop spontaneous tumours very similar in morphology and biology to human ones, also in relation to similar environmental oncogenic pressures. Cycline D1 overexpression, which has both a prognostic and pathogenetic value, is usually detected in human tumours. Thus, the use of cycline-dependent kinases inhibitors could be of value in anticancer therapy. We studied spontaneous canine mammary tumours in order to test the above hypothesis. Immunohistochemistry, AgNOR and western blotting analysis were performed, and the results revealed that cycline D1 is associated with metabolic, morphological and protein expression patterns typical of proliferating cells. The same protein expression pattern, the use of human antibodies for detecting canine proteins and the availability of neoplastic tissue make these spontaneous canine tumours a reliable model.