Análise de malignidade de neoplasias mamárias em cães e da razão neutrófilos/linfócitos e albumina/globulina como fatores de prognóstico

Abstract

Canine mammary tumors (CMT) are the most common type of tumor in intact female dogs. Mammary neoplasms exhibit a high metastatic potential in organs such as lungs and lymph nodes, which significantly increases the chances of an unfavorable prognosis and possible death. In recent years, cellular and biochemical markers such as the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the albumin/globulin ratio (AGR) have been investigated as prognostic factors. However, studies evaluating these markers and their prognostic accuracy in Veterinary Medicine remain limited. The present study aims to analyze the malignancy of canine mammary neoplasms and to evaluate, through hematological exams, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and albumin-to-globulin ratios as prognostic factors for CMT in female dogs treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Uberlândia (HOVET-UFU). A retrospective survey was conducted on female dogs treated at HOVET-UFU between January 2022 and December 2024, with the objective of analyzing the malignancy of mammary neoplasms based on histological classification and grading systems, as well as evaluating the NLR and AGR ratios as prognostic factors for CMT. Animals were followed up through telephone contact with the person responsible and/or periodic consultations at HOVET-UFU, and survival was determined using Kaplan Meier survival curves. Patients were separated into groups according to the NLR and AGR values, and survival curves were compared using the Log-Rank test. In this study, AGR was identified as a potential independent prognostic factor, with lower values (AGR < 0.365) associated with reduced survival time. Dogs with AGR < 0.365 showed a mean survival of 385 days, while those with AGR ≥ 0.365 had a mean survival of 1101 days, with a significant difference between Kaplan–Meier survival curves (p < 0,001). In contrast, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) did not show a significant influence on survival in either univariate or multivariate analyses and was therefore not able to act as an independent prognostic marker. This study suggests that the AGR biomarker may be used as a prognostic factor for canine mammary tumors in veterinary clinical practice.