Incidence and the risk of occurrence of benign and malignant canine skin tumours in Poland – a five-year retrospective study

Abstract

Introduction The aim of the study was to compile data on the frequency and distribution of canine skin tumours and determine the risk of these being malignant as opposed to benign. This determination proceeded from tumour histogenesis and gave consideration to the dog’s breed, sex, age and the anatomical location of tumours. Material and Methods This retrospective five-year epidemiological study included 3,139 canine skin tumours collected in Poland. A univariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Microscopic analysis showed a significant predominance of benign tumours (65.02%) as well as mesenchymal and melanocytic tumours (59.57%). The most frequently diagnosed were mast cell tumours, accounting for 13.79% of all skin tumours, and other common tumour types were lipomas (6.40%), haemangiopericytomas (5.96%) and malignant melanomas (4.65%). The risk of malignant versus benign tumours was 1.212 times higher in the female than in the male dogs. A higher risk of development of malignant epithelial tumours was found in boxers (OR 4.091), German shepherds (OR 4.085) and flat-coated retrievers (OR 43.596). A higher risk of development of malignant mesenchymal tumours was found in golden retrievers (OR 4.693), boxers (OR 2.342), bulldogs (OR 3.469) and Maltese (OR 2.757). Conclusions The results may serve as a reference point for further studies of the complex biology of canine skin tumours.

Spontaneous tumours in dogs: A clinical and pathomorphological study in Kyrgyzstan

“…Among these, benign skin tumours comprised 68.42% and malignant tumours 31.58%. This is in line with findings by Smiech (2023) , Martins et al. (2022) , and Gruntzig et al.…”

“…These findings align with other studies where benign tumours are more prevalent than malignant ones ( Pinello et al. 2022b ; Smiech et al. 2023 ).…”