Biology subjects

Fonseca Alves, C. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Fonseca Alves, C. E..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Prognostic significance of Ki-67, BAX, Caspase-3, and VEGF expression in feline intestinal lymphoma

Feline intestinal lymphoma is the most common gastrointestinal neoplasm in cats and presents variable biological behavior and treatment responses. Despite its clinical importance, reliable prognostic biomarkers for this neoplasm are still lacking. This study aimed to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of Ki-67, BAX, caspase-3, and VEGF-A in feline intestinal lymphoma and evaluate their potential associations with overall survival and response to chemotherapy. Thirty cases of feline intestinal lymphoma were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical data, histopathological classification (lymphocytic vs. lymphoblastic), and immunophenotyping (B-vs. T-cell origin) were assessed. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression levels of Ki-67, BAX, caspase-3, and VEGF-A, which were classified as high or low. Associations between biomarker expression, lymphoma subtype, treatment status, and overall survival were analyzed via Kaplan-Meier curves and statistical comparisons. Most cases were of T-cell origin (22/30), with 17 classified as lymphocytic and 13 as lymphoblastic lymphoma. Chemotherapy significantly increased overall survival (p = 0.0008). Low expression of BAX (p = 0.0032), high expression of Ki-67 (p = 0.0184), and low expression of caspase-3 (p = 0.0222) were associated with reduced survival. VEGF-A expression was not significantly associated with survival (p = 0.0556), although a trend toward worse prognosis in high-expression cases was observed. When biomarker expression was analyzed in conjunction with chemotherapy status, the prognostic value of each marker was enhanced, with all the markers showing significant associations with survival (p < 0.0001). BAX, caspase-3, and Ki-67 expression levels are associated with prognosis in feline intestinal lymphoma, particularly when considered alongside treatment status. These markers may assist in predicting survival outcomes and tailoring therapeutic strategies in affected cats.

pathology↗

bioRxiv2018

Electrochemotherapy with bleomycin associated with doxorubicin induces tumor regression and decreases the proliferative index in canine cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas

Canine cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the most common skin cancer in dogs, and due to its low metastatic rate, local treatments such as electrochemotherapy (ECT) promote disease control or even complete remission and increase the survival time in most cases. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of BAX, Bcl-2, and Ki67 and clinical parameters in dogs with cSCC subjected to ECT. A prospective clinical nonrandomized study was performed in dogs with naturally occurring cSCC treated with ECT. Eighteen lesions (from 11 dogs) were selected, independent of breed, sex and age. The ECT protocol consisted of bleomycin plus doxorubicin followed by electric pulses characterized by 8 biphasic electric pulses lasting 100 ms, 1 Hz and 1000 V/cm. Among the 18 lesions, the lesion volume significantly decreased after treatment (p=0.04). The tumor size at D0 had no impact on survival time or prognosis (P>0.05). A decreased mitotic index was observed at compared with D0 (P=0.019). We also observed more intratumoral necrosis at D21 compared to D0 (P=0.041). The median expression level of Ki67 was 277.96 at D0 and 193.92 at D21. Thus, tumor samples had a lower proliferative index after ECT (D21) (P=0.031). The survival times of subjects with Ki67 values lower and higher than the Ki67 median value were not significantly different (P>0.05). Regarding apoptotic markers, there was no significant difference in BAX or Bcl-2 expression between D0 and D21 (P>0.05) or in overall survival between subjects with different levels of apoptotic markers. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between BAX and Bcl-2 before ECT (D0) (P=0.0379, r=0.5067). In conclusion, there was no change in BAX and Bcl-2 protein expression levels in response to ECT at the time points evaluated, and ECT was able to reduce tumor volume and cellular proliferation in cSCC.

cancer biology↗