Abstract
Background: Canine hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is an aggressive mesenchymal neoplasm with poor prognosis and limited biomarkers. Telomere dynamics, including telomere length and telomerase activity, have emerged as prognostic indicators in human cancers but remain underexplored in canine HSA subtypes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 85 archived canine HSA specimens (splenic, cardiac, cutaneous, and hepatic subtypes) and 20 normal tissue controls. Telomere length was measured by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and telomerase activity by TRAP assay. Immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 and hTERT was performed. Associations with survival time, metastatic status, and histological subtype were assessed using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses. Results: Splenic HSA exhibited significantly shorter telomeres (mean relative telomere length 0.42 ± 0.18) compared to cutaneous (0.71 ± 0.22, p=0.003) and cardiac subtypes (0.58 ± 0.20, p=0.04). Telomerase activity was elevated in 68% of HSA cases versus 15% of controls (pConclusions: Telomere shortening and telomerase activation are prevalent in canine HSA and vary by subtype. Telomere length and telomerase activity represent promising prognostic markers that may guide therapeutic stratification.
Keywords
telomere length, telomerase, canine hemangiosarcoma, prognostic marker, Ki-67, hTERT, splenic, survival