New molecular targets in canine hemangiosarcoma—Comparative review and future of the precision medicine

Abstract

Human angiosarcoma and canine hemangiosarcoma reveal similarities not only in their aggressive clinical behaviour, but especially in molecular landscape and genetic alterations involved in tumorigenesis and metastasis formation. Currently, no satisfying treatment that allows for achieving long overall survival or even prolonged time to progression does not exist. Due to the progress that has been made in targeted therapies and precision medicine the basis for a new treatment design is to uncover mutations and their functions as possible targets to provide tailored drugs for individual cases. Whole exome or genome sequencing studies and immunohistochemistry brought in the last few years important discoveries and identified the most common mutations with probably crucial role in this tumour development. Also, despite a lack of mutation in some of the culprit genes, the cancerogenesis cause may be buried in main cellular pathways connected with proteins encoded by those genes and involving, for example, pathological angiogenesis. The aim of this review is to highlight the most promising molecular targets for precision oncology treatment from the veterinary perspective aided by the principles of comparative science. Some of the drugs are only undergoing laboratory in vitro studies and others entered the clinic in the management of other cancer types in humans, but those used in dogs with promising responses have been mentioned as priorities.

Feline ventral abdominal wall angiosarcoma: haemangiosarcoma or lymphangiosarcoma? Clinical and pathological characteristics in nine cases

“… 2 More recently, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as sorafenib and pazopanib, have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of AS in humans with LAS phenotype through inhibition of VEGF/VEGFR and/or platelet-derived growth factor receptor signalling pathways. 28 , 29 Comparatively, in cats, the role of systemic treatments for both HSA and LAS is yet to be fully defined. Adjuvant anthracycline-based treatments have significantly improved survival of canine patients with HSA; however, systematic evaluations are lacking in cats.…”

Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Its Clinicopathological and Prognostic Associations in Canine Splenic Hemangiosarcoma

“…The survival time usually ranges between 19 days and 260 days [6]. Recent comparative genomic studies have revealed a shared genomic landscape between canine HSA and human angiosarcoma of the breast and viscera, suggesting that the dog can be considered a useful model for the study of human angiosarcoma [3,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”