CONSENSUS PROPOSAL ON ESSENTIAL PHENOTYPE MARKERS AND HORMONE RECEPTOR ASSESSMENT IN CANINE MAMMARY TUMOURS

Introduction: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) has played an increasing role as a diagnostic tool for the identification of neoplasms and pathogens. In canine mammary tumours (CMTs), there have been an increasing number of studies looking for reliable diagnostic and/or prognostic immunohistochemical biomarkers, but no consensus has been reached. These studies cannot be compared because of the differences in how these biomarkers have been used and evaluated. Materials and Methods: Review of the literature including IHC markers on CMTs in order to detect the best immunolabelling and evaluation systems for each marker. Results: After the review process, the authors reached a consensus regarding practical questions related to the methodology and provided guidelines on immunolabelling for CMTs markers, together with the specific recommendations for interpretation of the results for each of these biomarkers in CMTs. Conclusions: By standardizing the methods used for labelling and interpretation of these IHC markers, we aim to ensure consistency and reproducibility of future study results.