Steroid Receptors in Canine and Human Female Genital Tract Tumours with Smooth Muscle Differentiation

The expression of oestrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and progesterone receptor (PR) was examined in 32 canine genital tract tumours diagnosed as smooth muscle tumours (benign or malignant, pure or mixed). The immunohistochemical expression of calponin was used to assess the smooth muscle differentiation of the tumours. Nineteen human uterine leiomyomas were also examined. Calponin expression was detected in 89.3% of canine and 100% of human genital tract tumours diagnosed as leiomyomas, as well as in the majority of other tumours examined (canine or human, genital or extragenital, benign or malignant) with the exception of canine negative control tumours (cutaneous fibroma and hepatoid gland adenoma). ERalpha was found in 56.3% of canine and 52.6% of human leiomyomas, while PR was found in 84.4% of canine and 94.7% of human tumours. These results indicate that calponin is a good marker for differentiating neoplasia of the canine genital system of uncertain origin, as in human patients. They also show that canine tumours with smooth muscle differentiation of the genital tract of the bitch express steroid hormone receptors, a finding that opens up the possibility of hormone therapy.