Factors influencing malignant tumor development in cats from a multicenter retrospective study Niccolò Fonti, Azzurra Carnio, Cristiano Cocumelli, Elena Sophie Dhein, Claudia Eleni, Valentina Galietta, Franco Guscetti, Alessio Lachi, Francesca Parisi, Alessandro Poli, Paola Scaramozzino, Francesca Millanta Scientific Reports, 2026 Animal cancer registries (ACRs) are vital tools in veterinary oncology, offering insights into tumor epidemiology and supporting comparative research. Despite cancer being a major cause of feline mortality, data on feline tumor epidemiology remain limited. This study aimed to investigate temporal trends in histologically diagnosed feline tumors and assess how breed, sex, neuter status, age, and geographic origin affect malignancy and tumor distribution. A modified Vet-ICD-O-canine-1 coding system was applied to 5,289 tumors from two pathology-based ACRs in central Italy (2008-2023). Data were analyzed for time trends by the Cochrane-Armitage test, and logistic regression was used to assess the impact of the variables on tumor behavior ("malignant" vs. "benign") and the development of major cancer types. Of all tumors, 4,264 (80.6%) were malignant. Fibrosarcomas (n = 926; 17.5%), adenocarcinomas (n = 814; 15.4%), squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs; n = 738; 14.0%), and lymphomas (n = 507; 9.6%) were the most common types of cancer. Malignancy risk increased by 8% per year of age (OR = 1.08; 95%CI 1.06-1.10). Females (OR = 1.39; 95%CI 1.19-1.62) and non-purebred cats (OR = 1.89; 95%CI 1.47-2.38) had higher odds of malignancy. Neutered status was associated with reduced adenocarcinoma risk (OR = 0.79; 95% CI 0.66-0.94). Temporal trends included rising SCCs (p = 0.001) and declining fibrosarcomas (p < 0.001). These findings support previous findings and identify previously unknown risk factors, underscoring the value of multicenter ACR-based surveillance.
Morphological and Immunohistochemical Changes in Progressive Postmortem Autolysis of the Murine Brain Francesca Parisi, Sara Degl’Innocenti, Çağla Aytaş, Andrea Pirone, Carlo Cantile Animals, 2024 In this time series study, the temporal sequences of postmortem changes in brains kept at different temperatures were investigated in different areas of mouse brains. Fixation of tissues kept at different storage temperatures (4 °C, 22 °C, 37 °C) was delayed for four time points (24, 120, 168, 336 h). Histological and immunohistochemical investigations were carried out to determine how postmortem autolysis may affect the cellular morphology and the expression of neural cell epitopes. Results showed that the autolytic changes started earlier in brains at 22 °C and 37 °C and in the grey matter compared to the white matter, with the cerebellum and hippocampus showing the earliest postmortem changes. The cellular antigens were differently affected by the autolytic process overtime: NeuN and Olig2 immunoreactivity was gradually lost at the nuclear site and diffused into the cytoplasm; increased background staining was observed with SMI-32; GFAP showed an increase in immunolabeling, whereas 2F11 immunoreactivity decreased. This study suggests that the morphological analysis and immunohistochemical investigation of the brain tissue could be satisfactorily applied to forensic cases, providing useful data for the estimation of the postmortem interval.
Age at Tumor Diagnosis in 14,636 Canine Cases from the Pathology-Based UNIPI Animal Cancer Registry, Italy: One Size Doesn’t Fit All Niccolò Fonti, Francesca Parisi, Alessio Lachi, Elena Sophie Dhein, Franco Guscetti, Alessandro Poli, Francesca Millanta Veterinary Sciences, 2024 Cancer is the most common cause of death in adult dogs. All dogs would benefit from early diagnosis, but there are no specific guidelines regarding the schedule of cancer screening in companion animals. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the age at diagnosis in Italian oncological canine patients. A total of 14,636 canine histologically confirmed neoplastic cases were coded according to the Vet-ICD-O-canine-1 and stratified by malignancy, sex, neutering status, breed, cephalic index, body size, and tumor type. Differences in age distribution were analyzed and the influence of these variables on the time of first malignancy diagnosis was assessed using an event history analysis model. The median age at diagnosis for benign and malignant tumors was 9 and 10 years, respectively. Intact and purebred dogs were diagnosed earlier, but the median age differed significantly by breed. The earliest age at diagnosis was recorded for lymphomas and mast cell tumors. The model showed an accelerating effect of large size, brachy- and dolichocephaly, and sexual integrity in female dogs on the time of malignancy diagnosis. Our results confirm that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to cancer screening is not accurate in dogs and provide relevant data that may lead to the establishment of breed-based screening schedules.
Adenocarcinoma originating from presumed liver ectopic thyroid in a cat Lucia Caprioli, Francesca Parisi, Lisa Caprioli, Maria Massaro, Paolo Buracco, Noemi Dilli, Simone Borgonovo, Francesca Abramo Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports, 2024 Case summary Ectopic thyroid tissue is rarely reported in dogs and cats in its prediaphragmatic location and has never been described in the liver. A 15-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat was diagnosed by ultrasound with a heterogeneous hypoechoic nodular area in the liver at the periphery of the quadrate lobe. A generic diagnosis of carcinoma was made after ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration and cytological examination. The patient underwent staging by CT scan and subsequently underwent hepatic lobectomy. Histologically, a diagnosis of thyroid adenocarcinoma was made, confirmed immunohistochemically using positive thyroglobulin staining; the tumour was suspected to be of metastatic origin. CT scans excluded primary thyroid involvement; in addition, lesions at other sites were not detected. Therefore, a final diagnosis of thyroid adenocarcinoma arising from ectopic thyroid tissue in the liver was made. The cat recovered uneventfully from surgery. Relevance and novel information This report describes an unusual case of an adenocarcinoma originating from presumed thyroid ectopic tissue within the liver of a cat. Ectopic thyroid tissue has been rarely reported in both dogs and cats and, to the authors’ knowledge, it has never been described in the liver of a cat.
A Preliminary Evaluation of the Prognostic Role of HER-2 and HER-3 Immunohistochemical Expression in Canine Melanomas Francesca Parisi, Luigi Aurisicchio, Arianna Pecorari, Alessandro Poli, Francesca Millanta Animals, 2024 Canine melanoma is a malignant and aggressive neoplasm showing clinical, histological, and molecular features similar to the human counterpart. In human medicine, epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) have already been suggested as prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets in cutaneous melanoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of HER-2 and HER-3 in canine melanomas by immunohistochemistry and correlate their expression to the clinicopathological parameters of the examined tumors. Thirty-seven canine melanoma samples were recruited. Data regarding signalment and clinical parameters were also collected. The population was composed of 18 cutaneous, 16 oral/mucosal, and three digital/foot pad melanomas. Histopathological investigations were carried out to analyze histological type, ulceration, and mitotic count. On each sample, immunohistochemistry was performed using an anti-Melan-A or anti-Melanoma antigen, i.e., anti-HER-2 and anti-HER-3 antibodies. HER-2 and HER-3 positivity were classified using already established scoring criteria and a statistical analysis was carried out. The results highlighted that HER-2 expression was observed in 48.6% of the samples and HER-3 expression in 18.9%. The highest HER 2 score (3+) was recorded in 16.2% of the samples, while the coexpression of the two receptors was detected in 13.5% of the samples. A statistically significant association (p < 0.05) was observed between the expression of HER-2 and HER-3 and the presence of ulceration in oromucosal tumors. This work confirms the expression of HER-2 and HER-3 in canine melanomas and suggests a putative association with negative prognostic parameters. Further studies are necessary to strengthen these data by increasing the samples size and combining pathological examinations with molecular biology in the investigation of EGFR family receptors.
Histiocytic Sarcoma in a Captive Hybrid Orangutan (Pongo sp.): Morphological and Immunohistochemical Features Valentina Galietta, Niccolò Fonti, Cristiano Cocumelli, Caterina Raso, Pilar Di Cerbo, Francesca Parisi, Emanuela Bovi, Raffaella Parmigiani, Gabriele Pietrella, Antonella Cersini, Klaus G. Friedrich, Claudia Eleni Animals, 2024 Histiocytic sarcoma (HS), an infrequent highly aggressive hematopoietic tumor, has been observed in diverse animal species, with isolated occurrences in non-human primates. This study describes the first case of disseminated HS in a 45-year-old female hybrid captive orangutan. The clinical profile mirrored symptoms seen in human HS cases, encompassing anorexia and ascites. Detailed histopathological examination demonstrated characteristic features of this tumor and immunohistochemistry, using markers such as Iba-1 and HLA-DR, confirmed the diagnosis. Significantly, the absence of CD163 and CD204 expression challenges their diagnostic utility in non-human primates. This investigation enhances our understanding of HS diagnosis in non-human primates, underscoring the necessity for standardized markers and diagnostic protocols.
Cancerogenic parasites in veterinary medicine: a narrative literature review Niccolò Fonti, Francesca Parisi, Francesca Mancianti, Giulia Freer, Alessandro Poli Infectious Agents and Cancer, 2023 Parasite infection is one of the many environmental factors that can significantly contribute to carcinogenesis and is already known to be associated with a variety of malignancies in both human and veterinary medicine. However, the actual number of cancerogenic parasites and their relationship to tumor development is far from being fully understood, especially in veterinary medicine. Thus, the aim of this review is to investigate parasite-related cancers in domestic and wild animals and their burden in veterinary oncology. Spontaneous neoplasia with ascertained or putative parasite etiology in domestic and wild animals will be reviewed, and the multifarious mechanisms of protozoan and metazoan cancer induction will be discussed.
Exploring the link between viruses and cancer in companion animals: a comprehensive and comparative analysis Francesca Parisi, Niccolò Fonti, Francesca Millanta, Giulia Freer, Mauro Pistello, Alessandro Poli Infectious Agents and Cancer, 2023 Currently, it is estimated that 15% of human neoplasms globally are caused by infectious agents, with new evidence emerging continuously. Multiple agents have been implicated in various forms of neoplasia, with viruses as the most frequent. In recent years, investigation on viral mechanisms underlying tumoral transformation in cancer development and progression are in the spotlight, both in human and veterinary oncology. Oncogenic viruses in veterinary medicine are of primary importance not only as original pathogens of pets, but also in the view of pets as models of human malignancies. Hence, this work will provide an overview of the main oncogenic viruses of companion animals, with brief notes of comparative medicine.
Skeletal muscle dissemination in a dog with T-cell lymphoma Tommaso Magni, Francesca Del Signore, Massimo Vignoli, Rossella Terragni, Alessandro Poli, Francesca Parisi, Michele Sampaolo, Andrea Boari, Arianna Miglio, Paolo Emidio Crisi Veterinary Medicine and Science, 2023
