Relationship between NF-κB Expression and Malignancy of Canine Mammary Gland Tumor Tissues

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In this study, the nuclear expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in 48 tissues specimens from 25 canine spontaneous mammary gland tumor (MGT) patients were assessed by immunohistochemistry to compare their levels with clinical features, histological types, prognostic outcomes and proliferative activities, including the mitotic index (MI) and cylcinD1 expression. Twelve of eighteen (66.7%) malignant tumor tissues showed a nuclear staining greater than 10%, while benign tumor and hyperplastic tissues showed nuclear staining less than 10%. Higher nuclear expression of NF-κB was positively correlated with larger tumor size, lymph node metastasis and higher MI, however no correlation was observed with distant metastasis and cyclin D1 expression. Higher NF-κB nuclear expression correlated with shorter patient survival. These findings suggest that NF-κB is a useful prognostic factor for canine MGT patients.