Immunohistochemical determination of estrogen receptor-alpha in vaginal and tumor tissues of healthy and TVT-affected bitches and their relation to serum concentrations of estradiol-17beta and progesterone.

One of the most frequent canine neoplasms is the transmissible venereal tumor (TVT), which affects the male and the female genital tract. The objective of this study was to determine (immunohistochemically) estrogen receptor (ER-alpha) expression in vaginal tissue of healthy bitches and in the vaginal and neoplastic tissues of TVT-affected bitches. Fifty-eight bitches were divided into two groups: tumor group (TVT) and control group (healthy).