Molecular based subtyping of feline mammary carcinomas and clinicopathological characterization

Abstract Molecular classification of feline mammary carcinomas (FMC) from which specific behavioral patterns may be estimated has potential applications in veterinary clinical practice and in comparative oncology. In this perspective, the main goal of this study was to characterize both the clinical and the pathological features of the different molecular phenotypes found in a population of FMC (n = 102), using the broadly accepted IHC-based classification established by St. Gallen International Expert Consensus panel. The luminal B/HER2-negative subtype was the most common (29.4%, 30/102) followed by luminal B/HER2-positive subtype (19.6%, 20/102), triple negative basal-like (16.7%, 17/102), luminal A (14.7%, 15/102), triple negative normal-like (12.7%, 13/102) and finally, HER2-positive subtype (6.9%, 7/102). Luminal A subtype was significantly associated with smaller tumors ( p = 0.024) and with well differentiated ones ( p