Prognosis of canine mast cell tumors: a comparison of three methods

In this study, age, sex, recurrence, metastasis, death rate, and histologic patterns were in agreement with those of previous reports on canine mast cell tumors. Histologic grading, mitotic index, chromosome nucleolar organizer regions stained with silver (AgNORs), and anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were evaluated as indicators of prognosis. Histologic grading, AgNORs estimated in 100 cells, and PCNA-labeled fraction estimated in five high power fields (HPFs) were significantly different between recurring and nonrecurring tumors. Those prognostic factors were also significantly different between tumors that metastasized and those that did not. The survival time was lower in dogs with mast cell tumors with histologic grade 3 (Patnaik's), AgNOR counts higher than 2.25, and PCNA count in five HPFs higher than 261. The significance of these factors as markers for prognosis determined by logistic regression analysis differed with the time period considered. By combining the three most significant prognostic factors in a prognostic index, three models were obtained to determine the probability of nonrecurrence at 3, 6, and 9 months after surgery. The models were accurate in the prediction of the outcome of up to 80% of mast cell tumors. The use of these models provides a less subjective means of prognosticating mast cell tumors than the use of any one component alone.