Adenocarcinoma of the canine prostate

Abstract

Spontaneous adenocarcinoma of the prostate occurs most often in two species: man and the dog. Cancer of the prostate in this country is the second most common cause of death from cancer in the human male.13 Adenocarcinoma of the canine prostate apparently is a less common condition than its human counterpart.8, 11, 12, 21, 25, 28–33 Twenty cases of adenocarcinoma of the canine prostate were studied, using clinical and autopsy material, in order to define this disease in the dog and to compare it with the disease in man. Similarities of this neoplasm to the one in man are demonstrated. These include morphologic similarities, a frequency of the tumor in older animals, skeletal metastases, histochemical demonstration of acid phosphatase and lipids in neoplastic cells, and routes of metastasis similar to those thought to exist in man. Other pertinent histologic and clinical findings characteristic of this disease in the dog are reported.