Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research
Breast cancer is one of the most common and well-known types of cancer among women worldwide and is the most frequent neoplasm in intact female dogs. Female dogs are considered attractive models or studying spontaneous breast cancer, whereas female rats are currently the most widely used animal mode...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Veterinary Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/6/379 |
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| author | Tiago Ferreira Adelina Gama Fernanda Seixas Ana I. Faustino-Rocha Carlos Lopes Vítor M. Gaspar João F. Mano Rui Medeiros Paula A. Oliveira |
| author_facet | Tiago Ferreira Adelina Gama Fernanda Seixas Ana I. Faustino-Rocha Carlos Lopes Vítor M. Gaspar João F. Mano Rui Medeiros Paula A. Oliveira |
| author_sort | Tiago Ferreira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Breast cancer is one of the most common and well-known types of cancer among women worldwide and is the most frequent neoplasm in intact female dogs. Female dogs are considered attractive models or studying spontaneous breast cancer, whereas female rats are currently the most widely used animal models for breast cancer research in the laboratory context. Both female dogs and female rats have contributed to the advancement of scientific knowledge in this field, and, in a “One Health” approach, they have allowed broad understanding of specific biopathological pathways, influence of environmental factors and screening/discovery of candidate therapies. This review aims to clearly showcase the similarities and differences among woman, female dog and female rat concerning to anatomical, physiological and histological features of the mammary gland and breast/mammary cancer epidemiology, in order to better portray breast tumorigenesis, and to ensure appropriate conclusions and extrapolation of results among species. We also discuss the major aspects that stand out in these species. The mammary glands of female dogs and women share structural similarities, especially with respect to the lactiferous ducts and lymphatic drainage. In contrast, female rats have only one lactiferous duct per nipple. A comprehensive comparison between humans and dogs is given a special focus, as these species share several aspects in terms of breast/mammary cancer epidemiology, such as age of onset, hormonal etiology, risk factors, and the clinical course of the disease. Holistically, it is clear that each species has advantages and limitations that researchers must consider during the development of experimental designs and data analysis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:50:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-170307676a0b425d90f04074b4b23e83 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-7381 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:50:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Veterinary Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-170307676a0b425d90f04074b4b23e832023-11-18T13:00:04ZengMDPI AGVeterinary Sciences2306-73812023-05-0110637910.3390/vetsci10060379Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer ResearchTiago Ferreira0Adelina Gama1Fernanda Seixas2Ana I. Faustino-Rocha3Carlos Lopes4Vítor M. Gaspar5João F. Mano6Rui Medeiros7Paula A. Oliveira8Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalAnimal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalAnimal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalCentre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalPortuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), 4200-072 Porto, PortugalDepartment of Chemistry, CICECO—Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, PortugalDepartment of Chemistry, CICECO—Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, PortugalMolecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, Research Center of IPO Porto (CI-IPOP)/RISE@CI IPOP (Health Research Network), Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center (Porto.CCC), 4200-072 Porto, PortugalCentre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalBreast cancer is one of the most common and well-known types of cancer among women worldwide and is the most frequent neoplasm in intact female dogs. Female dogs are considered attractive models or studying spontaneous breast cancer, whereas female rats are currently the most widely used animal models for breast cancer research in the laboratory context. Both female dogs and female rats have contributed to the advancement of scientific knowledge in this field, and, in a “One Health” approach, they have allowed broad understanding of specific biopathological pathways, influence of environmental factors and screening/discovery of candidate therapies. This review aims to clearly showcase the similarities and differences among woman, female dog and female rat concerning to anatomical, physiological and histological features of the mammary gland and breast/mammary cancer epidemiology, in order to better portray breast tumorigenesis, and to ensure appropriate conclusions and extrapolation of results among species. We also discuss the major aspects that stand out in these species. The mammary glands of female dogs and women share structural similarities, especially with respect to the lactiferous ducts and lymphatic drainage. In contrast, female rats have only one lactiferous duct per nipple. A comprehensive comparison between humans and dogs is given a special focus, as these species share several aspects in terms of breast/mammary cancer epidemiology, such as age of onset, hormonal etiology, risk factors, and the clinical course of the disease. Holistically, it is clear that each species has advantages and limitations that researchers must consider during the development of experimental designs and data analysis.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/6/379breastbreast cancerfemale dogfemale ratmammary glandwoman |
| spellingShingle | Tiago Ferreira Adelina Gama Fernanda Seixas Ana I. Faustino-Rocha Carlos Lopes Vítor M. Gaspar João F. Mano Rui Medeiros Paula A. Oliveira Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research Veterinary Sciences breast breast cancer female dog female rat mammary gland woman |
| title | Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research |
| title_full | Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research |
| title_fullStr | Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research |
| title_short | Mammary Glands of Women, Female Dogs and Female Rats: Similarities and Differences to Be Considered in Breast Cancer Research |
| title_sort | mammary glands of women female dogs and female rats similarities and differences to be considered in breast cancer research |
| topic | breast breast cancer female dog female rat mammary gland woman |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/6/379 |
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