Effect of cyclooxygenase inhibitors in a xenograft model of canine mammary tumours

Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) represents a possible avenue for the prevention and/or treatment of some cancers. Our goal was to compare the effect of a selective inhibitor of COX-2, deracoxib, and a COX-1 and -2 inhibitor, piroxicam, on the growth of canine mammary tumours in a murine model. CMT-9 was used to induce xenografts in nude mice. Mice were treated with piroxicam (0.6 mg kg(-1)), deracoxib (6 mg kg(-1)) or a control solution. Tumour volumes between 0 and 24 days post-treatment showed no significant difference between all groups. A second series of experiments was performed with a higher dose of piroxicam (0.9 mg kg(-1)). Tumour volumes between 14 and 21 days post-treatment were significantly smaller in piroxicam-treated mice compared with controls. These results demonstrate that COX inhibition reduced the growth of canine mammary cancer xenografts in mice, suggesting that COX inhibitors could have a positive effect in dogs.