Canine Mammary Tumor Stem Cells

 Canine Mammary Tumor Stem Cells

Spontaneous mammary tumors frequently appear in women, dogs, cats and rodents. It is the most common tumor type in female dogs and despite comprising research very little is known about the tumorigenesis. In recent years there has been a focus on socalled cancer stem cells i.e. cells that survives traditional treatment regimens and thereby are capable of renewing tumor growth. This review updates the state of art on stem cells in canine mammary tumors. There are emerging data demonstrating that canine mammary tumors have stem cell properties. However, the cell (-s) of origin in the different mammary tumor phenotypes carcinomas, sarcomas and carcinosarcomas, has not been identified yet.