Circulating nucleosomes as a potential cancer biomarker in dogs with splenic nodular lesions

Abstract

Splenic nodular lesions in dogs can be either benign or malignant. They might be discovered incidentally or, in case of rupture, they may lead to hemoabdomen. Nevertheless, splenectomy followed by histopathology is essential for diagnosis and to prevent rupture. Yet, this invasive procedure might be postponed for dogs with benign splenic nodular lesions. Conversely, owners may opt for euthanasia over surgery for malignancies with poor prognosis like hemangiosarcoma. Thus, anticipating diagnosis with non-invasive biomarkers is crucial for proper patient management. In this prospective study, plasma samples were collected from 66 dogs with histologically confirmed splenic nodular lesions. A canine-specific ELISA kit was applied to assess nucleosome concentration, with histopathology of the spleen serving as the gold standard. Nucleosome concentration was found to be significantly higher in dogs with malignant splenic nodular lesions, particularly in those with hemangiosarcoma and other malignancies. The presence of hemoabdomen, more prevalent in dogs with splenic malignancy, also resulted in increased plasmatic nucleosome concentrations. Plasma nucleosomes could serve as a biomarker for detecting malignant splenic nodular lesions in dogs. More research is needed to understand how nucleosome concentration relate to disease stage and prognosis in dogs with hemangiosarcoma.

Keywords: biomarker; dog; hemangiosarcoma; histopathology; nodular lesion; nucleosome; plasma; spleen.

Figure 1.

Box-plot representing plasmatic nucleosome concentration in 66 dogs with splenic nodular lesion based on the final diagnosis (A, B), the size of the lesion (C), or the presence of hemoabdomen (D). The boxes indicate the I-III interquartile range (IQR); horizontal lines indicate the median; vertical lines extend until the last value classified as “non-outlier”. ° = near-outlier (value further than 1.5*IQR from the III quartile). * = far-outlier (value further than 3.0*IQR from the III quartile).

Figure 2.

Receiving Operator Curve (ROC) drawn to assess the diagnostic performances of plasmatic nucleosome concentration to discriminate between benign and malignant splenic nodular lesions in 66 dogs.