Vol. 8, Issue 4 (2019)

Author(s):
Raimon Mathew, Sajitha IS, Sudheesh S Nair, Dhanush Krishna B and Mammen J Abraham

Abstract:
Histopathology is considered as the gold standard for diagnosis of canine mammary tumours (CMTs). Like human breast cancer, mammary tumour is a common tumour in dogs. Mastectomy is the most commonly adopted approach for treatment of CMTs. Grading of the tumour by histopathology is an effective tool to assess its biological behaviour and aggressiveness. In humans, Elston and Ellis grading method is routinely used to grade breast carcinomas. Present study was aimed at classification and histological malignancy grading of CMTs that were reported in and around Thrissur, Kerala, by using the modified human grading method. The samples included 16 tumours of canine mammary gland. Out of these, 87.5% (n=14) were malignant and 12.5% (n=2) were benign. After grading, it was found that 21.4% (n = 3) of the malignant tumours were of grade I, 57.1% (n = 8) were grade II and 21.4% (n= 3) were grade III tumours. The study revealed that majority of the simple carcinomas (most malignant type) were grade III or II and all the grade III tumours recurred within six months. Hence grading of the tumours was an effective prognostic indicator for planning further line of treatment. This study is first of its kind to classify and grade CMTs common in this area.