Canine Primary Intracranial Cancer: A Clinicopathologic and Comparative Review of Glioma, Meningioma, and Choroid Plexus Tumors

Abstract

In the dog, primary intracranial neoplasia represents ~2–5% of all cancers and is especially common in certain breeds including English and French bulldogs and Boxers. The most common types of primary intracranial cancer in the dog are meningioma, glioma, and choroid plexus tumors, generally occurring in middle aged to older dogs. Much work has recently been done to understand the characteristic imaging and clinicopathologic features of these tumors. The gross and histologic landscape of these tumors in the dog compare favorably to their human counterparts with many similarities noted in histologic patterns, subtype, and grades. Data informing the underlying molecular abnormalities in the canine tumors have only begun to be unraveled, but reveal similar pathways are mutated between canine and human primary intracranial neoplasia. This review will provide an overview of the clinicopathologic features of the three most common forms of primary intracranial cancer in the dog, delve into the comparative aspects between the dog and human neoplasms, and provide an introduction to current standard of care while also highlighting novel, experimental treatments that may help bridge the gap between canine and human cancer therapies.

Choroid plexus and the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier in disease

“…Expression of several markers like cytokeratin AE1/AE3, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, β-catenin and GFAP is indicative of primary CP tumors [288][289][290]. Despite bearing the general characteristics of primary CP tumors, they can be mistaken for metastatic carcinoma in biopsy samples (Table 4; [291].…”

Phase I trial of convection-enhanced delivery of IL13RA2 and EPHA2 receptor targeted cytotoxins in dogs with spontaneous intracranial gliomas

“…Limited survival data in dogs with histologically confirmed gliomas treated with conventional modalities currently exist. 31 The PFS (187 days) and OS (224 days) observed in our trial were longer than those of dogs with gliomas treated palliatively (OS, 79 days) or surgically (OS, 66 days), similar to trials in dogs that underwent investigational therapies including surgery followed by dendritic cell vaccination (OS, 185 days), surgery and metronomic chemotherapy (OS, 254 days), repeated CED infusions (OS, 190 days) of liposomal camptothecin-11 (CPT-11), and comparable to dogs treated with radiotherapy (OS range, 225–390 days). 14 , 31 …”

“…While surgical resection benefits local disease control in humans, its efficacy in canine glioma has not been established. 31 As local tumor control was achieved in several cases, extensions of our work would be to repeat CED, combine it with other approaches, or incorporate new technologies such as multiport catheters that have shown promise for large-volume locoregional infusions. 29 , 30 Although we did treat several canine glioma entities, expression of IL13RA2 or EPHA2 were unifying molecular denominators for all dogs, and we observed tumor responses that were agnostic to tumor phenotype.…”

The One Health Consortium: Design of a Phase I Clinical Trial to Evaluate M032, a Genetically Engineered HSV-1 Expressing IL-12, in Combination With a Checkpoint Inhibitor in Canine Patients With Sporadic High Grade Gliomas

“…Interestingly, similar incidences of spontaneous central nervous system tumors have been observed in pet canines, at an estimated 14.5 per 100,000 animals (6). With a tendency toward certain breeds, up to 35% of these tumors that manifest represent gliomas that not only clinically behave like malignant gliomas in humans but also share similar radiographic, histopathologic, and genetic features with similar treatment and outcome patterns (7).…”