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[ October 19, 2005, 04:40 PM: Message edited by: Betsy Iole ]CANINE HEALTH FOUNDATION-AKC
OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER. Summer 2005
New Study Shows Inherited Links to Canine LYMPHOMA
by Jaime Modiano VMD PhD Colorado Health Sciences Center
The lifetime risk & incidence of lymphoma are different among distinct dog breeds, signalling a unique opportunity to identify heritable factors that could be manipulated to reduce the risk. Lymphoma is one of the more common cancers seen in dogs, occuring about 2 to 5 times as frequently in dogs as in people. It is estimated that approximately 1 of every 15 dogs born today will get lymphoma at some point, most likely between the ages of 8 and 11. Lymphomas are cancers that arise from lymphocytes (white blood cells that fight disease). Normally these cells travel through the body in the blood steam and in another network of thin \"tubes\" called lymph vessels, which interconnect organs of the lymphoid system (spleen, lymph nodes, thymus). When a lymphocyte becomes cancerous, it divides out of control and produces large numbers of identical cells, which crowd the lumph nodes and make them swell...
A recently published study supported in part by the AKC Canine Health Foundation showed that the oldest breeds, including Spitz dogs and small Asian \"lap dogs\" share a predisposition for excess lymphomas that arise from cells called T-LYMPHOCYTES suggesting these breeds retain inherited risk factors that arose ancestrally. In contrast, some recently derived European breeds such as Basset Hounds and Cocker Spaniels are predisposed to excess lymphomas that arise from cells called B-LYMPHOCYTES suggesting these tumors may stem from different risk factors....that arose during the process of breed derivation and selection. Retrievers show an approximately equal number of occurrences of lymphomas [ from both types of cell lines] and in Goldens, each of these tumor types arises from unique genetics characteristics. These exciting results provide the first level of insight that will allow scientists to identify heritable factors that influence the risk of lymphomas in both dogs and people.