Cytogenomics of Feline Cancers: Advances and Opportunities

Relative to the dog, integration of the cat into the “One Health” concept has been more restricted, particularly in the field of molecular oncology. Beyond the continual need to enhance the sophistication of feline healthcare per se, the unique spectrum of naturally-occurring cancers in the cat offers tremendous opportunities for comparative and translational advances that may have mutual benefit for human and veterinary medicine. The study of feline cancers additionally may generate new insight into underexplored aspects of tumor biology that are less accessible in other species, such as the relationship between chronic inflammation and neoplasia, and the role of viruses in malignant transformation. Several factors that have hindered molecular studies of feline cancers have now been surmounted, with the most fundamental step forward coming from the development of a high-quality reference genome sequence assembly for the cat. This article reviews landmark studies that have led to our current appreciation of feline genome architecture, and outlines techniques used in cancer cytogenomics, from conventional karyotyping analysis through to the development of genomic microarrays and beyond. A summary of progress in the identification and characterization of chromosomal aberrations in feline cancers is provided using examples from studies of injection-site sarcomas, lymphomas and mammary tumors.