Science uses dogs to directly study breast cancer

Recently, a team of researchers at the University of Zurich showed that breast cancer tumors in humans are similar to dogs and this is an important premise for researchers to learn more about cancer.

Previously, cancer was one of the most common diseases in humans and animals, especially breast cancer, with similar characteristics among humans and dogs.

Many breast cancer tumors have the ability to reprogram healthy cells in the tumor surrounding the tumor, thereby controlling the movement of cells in cancerous tumors.

Researchers in Zurich have discovered cells around breast cancer tumors respond in the same way in humans as in dogs.

Enni Markkanen, the Institute of Pharmacology and Biology at the University of Zurich's Vetsuisse, says cancer cells completely affect surrounding tissues in the dog's body, just like they do on humans, This is not known before science.

Using samples of dog breast tumors stored at the Veterinary Institute, researchers have shown that some cells near cancer tumors in dogs behave similarly to the corresponding cells in people, where tissues are healthy around the tumor, the substances produced all work together to promote breast cancer growth.

Markkanen said: " Simply put, breast tumors mutate its surroundings: forcing surrounding cells to work harder for the sake of its survival. However, it is important that they We do not consider sick dogs to be the main focus for studying cancer in humans because there are other specific differences, but the basic similarities in this finding will help us understand well. , the mechanism of breast cancer in humans and dogs ".

For breast cancer research, tumor tissues of diseased dogs have more advantages compared to the tissues of disease mice or cancer cells grown in the laboratory.

This research has just been published in the International Journal of Molecular Science.