Breast cancer is a growing concern among dogs, especially older bitches, where it has become one of the leading causes of death. Conventional treatments, which usually combine surgery and chemotherapy, achieve good results in many cases, but They are not always equally effective for all patients.One of the reasons for this challenge may be closer than we think: obesity.
Researchers from the University of Chile are conducting a pioneering study to understand how excess body fat in dogs can become an obstacle to breast tumor treatmentsThe objective is to gradually break down the molecular mechanisms why obesity encourages cancer cells to resist the action of drugs commonly used in veterinary oncology.
Impact of obesity on canine tumor health
The key could lie in the substances produced by adipose tissue, known as adipokines. According to Dr. Cristián Torres, head of the research, these molecules modify the response of tumor cells, making them more resistant to conventional treatments. Furthermore, obesity influences epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, which can alter genetic expression and confer survival advantages to malignant cells.
Advances in understanding treatment resistance
To address this complex phenomenon, the University of Chile study works on two main lines: on the one hand, by conducting in vitro tests with canine mammary cells; on the other, by analyzing samples from obese and thin dogs with mammary tumors. The goal is to observe how adipokines and other factors linked to excess weight affect the effectiveness of antitumor drugs and the possibility of epigenetic changes that increase resistance to tumor cells.
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