Distribution of hypoxia and proliferation associated markers in spontaneous canine tumors

The therapeutic response of malignant tumors depends on a number of factors associated with tumor microenvironments including the possibility that these microenvironments change during treatment. Two factors, tumor hypoxia and cell proliferation, have been examined in spontaneous canine tumors undergoing multifraction radiation therapy. The approach utilizes immunohistochemical analyses of hypoxia (CCI-103F) and proliferation associated (PCNA) antigens in biopsy samples taken before and after 5 daily fractions of 3 Gy (total dose 15 Gy). The tissue samples were formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded for the immunohistochemical study. Immunostaining of the sections for PCNA and hypoxia marker reveals little or no overlap when the analysis is made prior to irradiation. An increased degree of overlap seems to occur after 15 Gy but the situation is complicated by a change towards more diffuse PCNA immunostaining in the cells of the irradiated tissues.