EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA OF FELINE NEOPLASTIC DISEASES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF DATA COLLECTION
Authors Vichi G, Fratto A, Manuali E
Abstract Cancer is one of the most frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in companion animals and humans. Domestic cats and dogs share their environment with people and can be valuable bio-sentinels for environmental hazards and oncogenic factors in a One-Health perspective or model for human cancer [1,2]. Cats and dogs are the most diffuse companion animal species, and in some countries, domestic cats are more numerous than dogs. For example, the number of cats estimated by the pet food industry in Europe is 106,424,000 in front of 87,510,000 dogs [3]. To use the data from veterinary medicine as a source of surveillance for human health, it seems particularly important to create national and international animal cancer registries, including both canine and feline species. However, the epidemiological value of a cancer registry is related to collecting information on neoplastic diseases identified within a specific population, in an established period, with a precise geographical distribution, so it needs an efficient animal registration system. In various countries, dog registration has become mandatory in the last decades. Still, the enrolment of domestic cats is often done only voluntarily. The lack of precise demographic data can be a significant limitation to feline cancer registration. Another relevant problem is the lack of an international and standardized classification of neoplastic diseases in most of the studies performed to date. This review aims to update the current knowledge on the epidemiology of feline neoplastic diseases, summarizing the data published in scientific literature, finally suggesting an improved data collection method for further studies.
Publish Date 2021
Volume 6:S2
ISSN 2574-710X
DOI doi.org/10.4172/aot.s2.1000003
Journal Journal of Oncology Research and Treatments
Pages art. n. 003