Test of new biomarker to differentiate intestinal disease from cancer in cats
KEY POINTS- In this project, we are evaluating an analysis method with the hope of being able to provide a faster and better assessment of prognosis and treatment.
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Short summary
Tumor diseases in cats are difficult to diagnose and often lead to great suffering for our pets. The incidence of cancer gastrointestinal lymphoma (GI lymphoma) in cats has steadily increased and now accounts for 60–75 percent of all malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract in cats.
The symptoms of GI lymphoma are often similar to those of the even more common disease IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), which means that it is often very difficult to make a correct diagnosis. As with all tumor diseases, early diagnosis can save lives. It is equally important that chronic inflammation is not mistaken for tumors, as this may lead to unnecessary aggressive treatment or, in the worst case, euthanasia of the cat. The correct diagnosis therefore reduces the risk of incorrect treatment and impaired animal welfare for patients, as well as unnecessary costs for pet owners and insurance companies.
The enzyme thymidine kinase 1 (TK) is involved in DNA synthesis and can therefore be a marker for cancer cell growth. It has long been known that cats with malignant lymphoma have much higher levels of TK in their blood. Furthermore, a sharp decrease in TK in the blood is often seen after treatment, and levels rise again in the event of a relapse.
This project will evaluate whether TK analyses can distinguish cats with IBD from cats with GI lymphoma, thereby providing a faster and better assessment of the prognosis and possible treatment. The TK analyses are performed on serum samples from cats being treated for symptoms of GI lymphoma or IBD at the small animal clinic at the University Animal Hospital.
Results to date: promising biomarker for malignant diseases in cats
The conclusion from the research project so far is that TK levels are a promising biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of malignant diseases in cats. TK levels in the blood of cats with malignant diseases were higher than those in healthy cats. The study also shows that TK levels can be used to distinguish IBD from GI lymphoma, as cats with IBD had low TK levels.
Cats treated for GI lymphoma were also examined, and the samples showed that TK levels returned to normal in response to treatment, although the number of samples is too small to draw a statistically sound conclusion.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, fewer samples than planned were collected, and sample collection and analysis will therefore continue.