Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (TVT) – NAVLE Study Guide
Overview and Clinical Importance
Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (TVT), also known as Sticker's sarcoma, transmissible venereal sarcoma, or infectious sarcoma, is a unique, naturally occurring transmissible neoplasm affecting canids worldwide. TVT is one of only three known transmissible cancers in mammals (the others being Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease and contagious reticulum cell sarcoma in Syrian hamsters).
TVT represents an extraordinary example of a clonally transmissible cancer where the tumor cell itself is the infectious agent. Genetic analyses reveal that all TVT tumors worldwide are derived from a single ancestral cancer that originated approximately 6,000-11,000 years ago in an ancient dog or wolf. This makes TVT the oldest known continuously surviving cancer lineage in nature.
TVT is highly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions where free-roaming dog populations exist, and represents a high-yield NAVLE topic due to its unique transmission mechanism, characteristic cytologic appearance, and excellent treatment response to vincristine chemotherapy.
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