Cox-2 levels in canine mammary tumors, including inflammatory mammary carcinoma: clinicopathological features and prognostic significance.

Cyclo-oxygenase (Cox-2) plays an important role in mammary carcinogenesis, nevertheless, its role in canine mammary tumors, and particularly in inflammatory mammary carcinoma (IMC), is unknown. Tumor Cox-2 levels were analyzed by enzyme immunoassay, in post-surgical tumor homogenates of 129 mammary tumors (62 dysplasias and benign tumors, 57 malignant non-IMC and 10 IMC) from 57 female dogs. The highest Cox-2 values were detected in the IMC group. In non-IMC malignant tumors, high values of Cox-2 were related to skin ulceration (p < 0.001) and tumor size (p < 0.001). The follow-up study revealed that high Cox-2 levels were related with recurrence (p = 0.002), metastases (p < 0.001), disease-free survival (p < 0.001) and overall survival (p < 0.001). This study demonstrates an association between intra-tumor Cox-2 levels and poor prognosis. The high levels found in IMC cases could indicate a special role of Cox-2 in the inflammatory phenotype and open the possibility of additional new therapeutic approaches in this special type of mammary cancer in humans and dogs.