Felinebreast carcinoma microstroma profile

Abstract

The incidence and complexity in the clinical outcome of mammary tumors in domestic cats have aroused special interest in the study of prognostic factors. One of the complementary forms of prognosis assessment of malignant feline mammary tumors, by classical histopathology, corresponds to the stroma tissue analysis. This study aimed to characterize the mammary carcinomas microscopic stroma in female cats. Following the animals' mastectomy, samples (n = 24) were collected, being fixed thereafter. After that, the material was submitted to gross exam and subsequently subjected to classic histological processing. The stroma component of the mammary carcinomas corresponded to necrosis areas (92%), vascular invasion by tumor cells (62.5%), desmoplasia (21%) and microcalcifications (4%). For domestic cat mammary gland carcinomas, beyond the description of histomorphological type and degree of tumor differentiation, a detailed microscopic evaluation of the stroma tissue becomes essential, as it provides useful and relevant prognostic information in feline oncology.