Dogs with osteosarcoma have altered pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine profiles

Background Current advances in immunotherapy are an exciting area of study in canine osteosarcoma (OSA). The objective of this study was to determine the immune response in dogs with osteosarcoma by measuring stimulated leukocyte production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and TNF and IL-6 to IL-10 ratios. Methods Whole blood was collected from dogs with osteosarcoma receiving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, n = 11), dogs with osteosarcoma not receiving NSAIDs (n = 14) and healthy dogs (n = 5). Results No difference in TNF production was found among healthy and OSA dogs regardless of NSAID administration following stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (p = .410), lipoteichoic acid (LTA) (p = .693) or PBS (p = .120). Leukocyte IL-6 production was greater in all dogs with OSA after stimulation with LPS (p = .015), LTA (p = .014) and PBS (p = .034) with no difference between OSA dogs receiving NSAIDs and those not. No differences in IL-10 were found among healthy controls and dogs with OSA regardless of NSAID use. There was no difference among groups for LPS-stimulated TNF to IL-10 ratios (p = .407). For LTA-stimulated leukocytes, the TNF to IL-10 ratio was lower in dogs with OSA than in healthy dogs (p = .031) with no difference between OSA NSAID dogs compared to OSA non-NSAID dogs (p = .059). No differences were found in LPS (p = .310)- or LTA (p = .265)-stimulated leukocyte IL-6 to IL-10 production ratios among groups. Conclusions Dogs with osteosarcoma have an altered pro- and anti-inflammatory immunologic profile compared to healthy dogs regardless of NSAID use. Further study is indicated to determine the potential prognostic and therapeutic implications of these findings.