Investigation of calprotectin+ leukocyte infiltrations in canine soft tissue tumors

Soft tissue tumors in dogs include a group of mesenchymal tumors with various tumor subtypes. Soft tissue sarcomas, on the other hand, are a complex group of tumors that are difficult to treat and have high invasion and metastasis properties. In order to determine the prognosis in malignant tumors, staging is made according to histopathological grading and metastasis features. There is information that inflammatory cell infiltrations are associated with malignancy in many human and animal tumors. Macrophages and neutrophils are found in inflammatory cells whose infiltration is observed in malignant tumoral tissues. There are subtypes of both inflammatory cells, and the types associated with malignancy and poor prognosis in tumors are called tumor-associated macrophages and tumor-associated neutrophils. In this study, the presence of Calprotectin positive neutrophils and macrophages in canine soft tissue tumors was investigated by immunohistochemical methods. For this purpose, mesenchymal tumors of different origins from 31 dogs of different breed, age and sex were examined. In addition, the presence and degree of these infiltrations in benign and malignant tumors were compared. Thanks to the determination of the relationship between calprotectin + leukocyte infiltrations and malignancy in these tumors, treatment options based on suppression of inflammation may also be considered for these tumors. This research provides a basis for future studies as it offers a new alternative to the currently inadequate treatment options.