USE OF EMBRYONIC CARCINOUS ANTIGEN (CEA) AS A PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN DOGS WITH MAMMARY
NEOPLASMS
Breast neoplasm; Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA); biomarker
Mammary neoplasms represent the main oncological diagnosis in bitches, with a high proportion of diagnoses being malignant tumors, which directly reflects on the prognosis and survival of bitches. The main predisposing factor for the occurrence of breast cancer is related to hormonal influence, where intact females have a higher prevalence compared to spayed females. For better monitoring and prognosis of bitches with mammary neoplasms, an oncological staging is established according to the TNM system, established by the World Health Organization (WHO), in addition to the histopathological classification and predictive and prognostic factors obtained by immunohistochemical examination. In search of greater prognostic aid, some biomarkers are increasingly investigated, such as the use of Carcino Embryonic Antigen (CEA). CEA is highly expressed in some tissues such as lung, intestine and mammary tissue, it is a biomarker that, when increased, is related to the diagnosis of malignant and more aggressive neoplasms, including mammary neoplasms in bitches. In situations of malignancy, CEA values are commonly increased, directly helping as a prognostic factor for cancer patients, that is, patients at higher risk of life in relation to neoplasia. The CEA is an exam performed by radioimmunoassay method by evaluating the serum or blood plasma, the sample collection is considered minimally invasive and allows for a less traumatic process of obtaining. Oncological monitoring should be carried out jointly, following the guidelines established by the World Health Organization (WHO) by the TNM system, evaluating the extent of the disease, lymph node involvement and the presence of metastasis in other organs. This study aims to correlate CEA values with the histopathological results of 20 bitches with mammary tumor, 19 patients underwent unilateral total mastectomy associated with lymphadenectomy, 16 histopathological results were obtained. Blood samples were collected for biomarker evaluation through peripheral vessel venipuncture and blood serum storage at a temperature of -20ºC until laboratory evaluation. Awaiting CEA results for comparison with the histopathological results obtained