Comparison of anti-Müllerian hormone and inhibin immunolabeling in canine and equine granulosa cell tumors.
Abstract: Granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) are common ovarian neoplasms in the mare and bitch that can be challenging to diagnose on histopathology. Inhibin has long been the standard immunohistochemical (IHC) marker for GCTs; however, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) has not been evaluated widely as an IHC marker in the bitch and mare. We compared the efficacy of AMH and inhibin as IHC markers in canine and equine GCTs. We selected retrospectively 18 equine and 15 canine cases. All equine tumors were dominated by a cystic pattern; canine tumors often had solid patterns. Both inhibin and AMH had similar punctate cytoplasmic patterns of immunolabeling, although labeling intensity was variable; distribution and intensity of labeling were unrelated to the histomorphologic pattern. Labeling for AMH occurred in 12 of 15 canine and 18 of 18 equine cases. Labeling for inhibin occurred in 15 of 15 canine and 18 of 18 equine cases. AMH in equine GCTs often had stronger immunolabeling than inhibin, and granulosa cells were labeled more extensively. Inhibin and AMH performed comparably in bitches, but AMH had more diffuse immunolabeling than inhibin in mares.
Publication Date: 2022-09-14 PubMed ID: 36113168PubMed Central: PMC9597338DOI: 10.1177/10406387221124589Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research investigates the effectiveness of anti-Müllerian hormone and inhibin as markers for diagnosing granulosa cell tumors in dogs and horses. The findings reveal that both hormones provide similar diagnostic results in dogs, while anti-Müllerian hormone shows a more diffuse immunolabeling than inhibin in horses.
Research Overview
The study focuses on granulosa cell tumors (GCTs), a common ovarian cancer found in female dogs and horses. Diagnosis of GCTs through histopathology – the microscopic study of tissues – is often challenging.
The scientists compared the effectiveness of two hormones, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and inhibin, as immunohistochemical (IHC) markers to diagnose GCTs. They conducted this comparison on 18 horse and 15 dog historical cases.
Methodology
- The researchers looked at the patterns of tumors in the selected cases. All horse cases showed a cystic or fluid-filled pattern, while dog cases often had solid patterns.
- They observed the immunolabeling patterns where antibodies were used to detect the hormones in tissue samples. Both AMH and inhibin showed similar punctate (dot-like) patterns within the cells. However, the labeling intensity varied and did not correlate with the tumor pattern.
Results
- AMH showed positive labeling in 12 out of 15 dog cases and all 18 horse cases. Inhibin also indicated positive labeling in all dog and horse cases.
- In horse cases, AMH generally showed stronger immunolabeling than inhibin, and more widespread labeling throughout granulosa cells, which form the structure around the egg in the ovary.
- In dog cases, AMH and inhibin performed equally well. However, in horse cases, AMH showed more diffuse or widespread immunolabeling than inhibin.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that both AMH and inhibin can be applied as IHC markers for GCTs in dogs, while AMH may yield better results than inhibin in diagnosing GCTs in horses. This study provides valuable insights for pathologists and veterinarians in diagnosing ovarian cancers in dogs and horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Nelissen S, Miller AD.
(2022).
Comparison of anti-Müllerian hormone and inhibin immunolabeling in canine and equine granulosa cell tumors.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 34(6), 1027-1031.
https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387221124589 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Anatomic Pathology, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Anatomic Pathology, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horses
- Female
- Dogs
- Granulosa Cell Tumor / veterinary
- Granulosa Cell Tumor / diagnosis
- Granulosa Cell Tumor / pathology
- Inhibins
- Anti-Mullerian Hormone
- Retrospective Studies
- Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology
- Ovarian Neoplasms / veterinary
- Biomarkers
- Dog Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research,
authorship, and/or publication of this article.
References
This article includes 12 references
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Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Derar D, Ali A, Al-Sobayil F, Refaai W. Granulosa cell tumor in Arabian mares: prevalence, risk factors, clinical and histopathological findings and outcome of surgical removal. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1689782.
- Sendag S, Wagner H, Turgut AO, Koca D, Schuler G, Wehrend A. The Elecsys AMH Assay Is a Suitable Method to Detect Gonadal Tissue in Male Alpacas and Llamas. Vet Med Sci 2025 Sep;11(5):e70558.
- Wolf N, Hahn JA, Walter I, Zablotski Y, Zerbe H, Witte TS. Pathohistological Findings after Bilateral Ovariectomy in Mares with Behavioral Problems. Animals (Basel) 2024 Oct 8;14(19).
- Cuccato M, Bertuglia A, Divari S, Brambilla E, Grieco V, Bollo E, Scaglione FE. Case report: Findings in ovaries development from an aborted equine fetus. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1275220.
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