Keywords
How to Cite
Abstract
Cancer is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the geriatric canine population; however, there are no updated epidemiological data in Uruguay. In this retrospective study, 963 cases of canine cancer diagnosed between 2018 and 2023 at the Veterinary Hospital Center of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (VHC–FVM), Uruguay, were analyzed. Data were collected from medical records and analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to assess associations between demographic variables and tumor distribution. Neoplasms of the skin and subcutaneous tissue were the most frequently diagnosed, followed by musculoskeletal and hemolymphatic tumors. A higher proportion of cases were observed in females, most of which were spayed. Skin tumors were more common in intact males, whereas spayed females were more frequently affected by musculoskeletal tumors. The highest number of cases occurred in dogs aged 6 to 10 years, followed by those older than 11 years, and the lowest frequency was observed in dogs aged 0 to 5 years. Among bone tumors, osteosarcoma was the most common type, affecting mainly large breeds and predominantly the appendicular skeleton, particularly the forelimbs. These findings emphasize the importance of considering sex, age, reproductive status, and race in cancer surveillance. From a clinical perspective, such information can guide early diagnosis strategies, improve case follow-up, and support preventive initiatives. In addition, the establishment of local and regional cancer registries is essential for advancing veterinary oncology research and strengthening the understanding of cancer epidemiology in Latin America.
References
Anfinsen, K. P., Grotmol, T., Bruland, O. S., & Jonasdottir, T. J. (2011). Breed-specific incidence rates of canine primary bone tumors: A population-based survey of dogs in Norway. Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research = Revue Canadienne de Recherche Vétérinaire, 75(3), 209-215. PMid:22210997.
Bélanger, J. M., Bellumori, T. P., Bannasch, D. L., Famula, T. R., & Oberbauer, A. M. (2017). Correlation of neuter status and expression of heritable disorders. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, 4(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/ s40575-017-0044-6. PMid:28560045.
Berthoud, D., Nevison, C. M., Waterhouse, J. S., & Hawkins, D. (2011). The prevalence of neutered pet dogs (Canis familiaris) across countries of the Western world. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 6(2), 77-78. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2010.09.014.
Carvelli, A., Scaramozzino, P., Iacoponi, F., Condoleo, R., & Della Marta, U. (2020). Size, demography, ownership profiles, and identification rate of the owned dog population in central Italy. PLoS One, 15(10), e0240551. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240551. PMid:33057370.
Catarino, J., Pinello, K., Niza-Ribeiro, J., Santos, J., Payan-Carreira, R., Reis, J., & Faísca, P. (2025). Exploring canine mast cell tumors: An investigation into demographic characteristics, and grading system analysis from a pathology lab data (2019–2021). Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 236, 106416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106416. PMid:39798168.
Dias-Pereira, P. (2022). Morbidity and mortality in elderly dogs: A model for human aging. BMC Veterinary Research, 18(1), 457. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-022-03518-8. PMid:36581919.
Dobson, J. M., Samuel, S., Milstein, H., Rogers, K., & Wood, J. L. N. (2002). Canine neoplasia in the UK: Estimates of incidence rates from a population of insured dogs. The Journal of Small Animal Practice, 43(6), 240-246. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2002.tb00066.x. PMid:12074288.
Dobson, J. M. (2013). Breed predispositions to cancer in pedigree dogs. ISRN Veterinary Science, 2013, 941275. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/941275. PMid:23738139.
Edmunds, G. L., Smalley, M. J., Beck, S., Errington, R. J., Gould, S., Winter, H., Brodbelt, D. C., & O’Neill, D. G. (2021). Dog breeds and body conformations with predisposition to osteosarcoma in the UK: A case-control study. Canine Medicine and Genetics, 8(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-021-00100-7. PMid:33750475.
Edmunds, G. L., Beck, S., Kale, K. U., Spasic, I., O’Neill, D. G., Brodbelt, D., & Smalley, M. J. (2023). Associations between dog breed and clinical features of mammary epithelial neoplasia in bitches: An epidemiological study of submissions to a single diagnostic pathology centre between 2008–2021. Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia, 28(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10911-023-09531-3. PMid:36961631.
Ehrhart, N. P., Christensen, N. I., & Fan, T. M. (2022). Tumors of the skeletal system. In D. M. Vail, D. H. Thamm, & J. M. Liptak (Eds.), Withrow & MacEwen’s Small Animal Clinical Oncology (6th ed., pp. 396-426). Elsevier.
Elgue, V., Piaggio, J., Amaral, C., & Pessina, P. (2012). Factores asociados a la presentación del tipo de cáncer en caninos atendidos en el Hospital de la Facultad de Veterinaria de Uruguay. Veterinaria, 48(187), 25-30.
Fonti, N., Parisi, F., Lachi, A., Dhein, E. S., Guscetti, F., Poli, A., & Millanta, F. (2024). Age at tumor diagnosis in 14,636 canine cases from the pathology-based UNIPI Animal Cancer Registry, Italy: One size doesn’t fit all. Veterinary Sciences, 11(10), 485. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11100485. PMid:39453077.
Grüntzig, K., Graf, R., Boo, G., Guscetti, F., Hässig, M., Axhausen, K. W., Fabrikant, S., Welle, M., Meier, D., Folkers, G., & Pospischil, A. (2016). Swiss Canine Cancer Registry 1955–2008: Occurrence of the most common tumour diagnoses and influence of age, breed, body size, sex and neutering status on tumour development. Journal of Comparative Pathology, 155(2-3), 156-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcpa.2016.05.011. PMid:27406312.
Hanahan, D. (2022). Hallmarks of cancer: New dimensions. Cancer Discovery, 12(1), 31-46. https://doi.org/10.1158/2159- 8290.CD-21-1059. PMid:35022204.
Hart, B. L., Hart, L. A., Thigpen, A. P., & Willits, N. H. (2020). Assisting decision-making on age of neutering for 35 breeds of dogs: Associated joint disorders, cancers, and urinary incontinence. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, 388. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388. PMid:32733924.
Kent, M. S., Burton, J. H., Dank, G., Bannasch, D. L., & Rebhun, R. B. (2018). Association of cancer-related mortality, age and gonadectomy in golden retriever dogs at a veterinary academic center (1989–2016). PLoS One, 13(2), e0192578. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192578. PMid:29408871.
Makielski, K. M., Mills, L. J., Sarver, A. L., Henson, M. S., Spector, L. G., Naik, S., & Modiano, J. F. (2019). Risk factors for development of canine and human Osteosarcoma: a comparative review. Veterinary Sciences, 6(2), 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci6020048. PMid:31130627.
Manuali, E., Morgante, R. A., Maresca, C., Leonardi, L., Purificato, I., Giaimo, M. D., & Giovannini, G. (2019). A web-based tumor registration system for a regional canine cancer registry in Umbria, central Italy. Annali dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 55(4), 357-362. https://doi.org/10.4415/ANN_19_04_09. PMid:31850863.
Pinello, K. C., Queiroga, F., de Matos, A., Santos, A., Ribeiro, J. N., Guscetti, F., Palmieri, C., Soberano, M., Momanyi, K., Torres, J. R., Killick, D., Radford, A., Wilson-Robles, H., Carvalho, J. P., Tedardi, M. V., & Dagli, M. L. Z. (2020). The Global Initiative for Veterinary Cancer Surveillance (GIVCS): Report of the first meeting and future perspectives. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 18(2), 141-142. https://doi.org/10.1111/vco.12577. PMid:32048793.
Pinello, K., Amorim, I., Pires, I., Canadas-Sousa, A., Catarino, J., Faísca, P., Branco, S., Peleteiro, M. C., Silva, D., Severo, M., & Niza-Ribeiro, J. (2022). Vet-OncoNet: Malignancy analysis of neoplasms in dogs and cats. Veterinary Sciences, 9(10), 535. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9100535. PMid:36288148.
Rafalko, J. M., Kruglyak, K. M., McCleary-Wheeler, A. L., Goyal, V., Phelps-Dunn, A., Wong, L. K., Warren, C. D., Brandstetter, G., Rosentel, M. C., DiMarzio, L., McLennan, L. M., O’Kell, A. L., Cohen, T. A., Grosu, D. S., Chibuk, J., Tsui, D. W. Y., Chorny, I., & Flory, A. (2023). Age at cancer diagnosis by breed, weight, sex, and cancer type in a cohort of more than 3,000 dogs: Determining the optimal age to initiate cancer screening in canine patients. PLoS One, 18(2), e0280795. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280795. PMid:36724177.
Ru, G., Terracini, B., & Glickman, L. T. (1998). Host-related risk factors for canine osteosarcoma. The Veterinary Journal, 156(1), 31-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-0233(98)80059-2. PMid:9691849.
Schwartz, S. M., Urfer, S. R., White, M., Megquier, K., Shrager, S., & Ruple, A. (2022). Lifetime prevalence of malignant and benign tumors in companion dogs: Cross-sectional analysis of Dog Aging Project (DAP) baseline survey. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 20(4), 797-804. https://doi.org/10.1111/vco.12839. PMid:35574975.
Simpson, S., Dunning, M. D., de Brot, S., Grau-Roma, L., Mongan, A. M., Rutland, C. M., Rutland, C. S., Hurst, D., Cripps, P., Reeve, J., McKay, J. S., Emes, R. D., & Murchison, E. P. (2017). Comparative review of human and canine osteosarcoma: Morphology, epidemiology, prognosis, treatment and genetics. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 59(1), 71. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-017-0341-9. PMid:29065898.
Tedardi, M. V., Veneziano, D. B., Kimura, K. C., Pedra-Mendonça, P., Biondi, L. R., Grandi, F., & Dagli, M. L. Z. (2015). São Paulo Animal Cancer Registry, the first in Latin America. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 13(2), 154-155. https://doi.org/10.1111/vco.12133. PMid:25968076.
Tuohy, J. L., Shaevitz, M. H., Garrett, L. D., Ruple, A., & Selmic, L. E. (2019). Demographic characteristics, site and phylogenetic distribution of dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma: 744 dogs (2000–2015). PLoS One, 14(12), e0223243. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223243. PMid:31887114.
Urfer, S. R., & Kaeberlein, M. (2019). Desexing dogs: A review of the current literature. Animals (Basel), 9(12), 1086. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9121086. PMid:31817504.
Vascellari, M., Baioni, E., Ru, G., Carminato, A., & Mutinelli, F. (2009). Animal tumour registry of two provinces in northern Italy: Incidence of spontaneous tumours in dogs and cats. BMC Veterinary Research, 5(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-5-39. PMid:19825169.
Zapata, I., Moraes, L. E., Fiala, E. M., Zaldivar-Lopez, S., Couto, C. G., Rowell, J. L., & Alvarez, C. E. (2019). Risk-modeling of dog osteosarcoma genome scans shows individuals with Mendelian-level polygenic risk are common. BMC Genomics, 20(1), 226. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-019-5531-6. PMid:30890123.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Melanie Bazzano Pereira, Rosina Sánchez Solé, Alicia Decuadro Barboza, Carlos Fonseca Alves, Paula Pessina Serdio