A Review of Tumour Initiating Cells in Veterinary Oncology and Potential Implications in Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumours.

Fabrizio Grandi, Helio Aman

Abstract

The canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT) is a transplantable neoplasia considered an allograft. However, information about the origin and carcinogenesis process is scarcely known. Currently, some neoplasms are believed to arise from tumour-initiating cells (TIC’s) classically described in human myeloid leukemia. TVT intrinsic characteristics provide evidence of a possible TIC’s participation in carcinogenesis process of this malignancy. In this review, we highlight CTVT as a cancer stem cell model and describe the four main TIC markers commonly used to enrich tumour initiating cells in canine and human tumours.