Epigenetic Alterations in Canine Malignant Lymphoma: Future and Clinical Outcomes

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Canine malignant lymphoma is one of the most common neoplasias in dogs. Even though breed influences the prevalence and prognosis, most cases present resistance to traditional chemotherapy. Canine breeds such as Labrador and Golden Retriever often have a worse prognosis for this reason. This high resistance to anticancer drugs makes it necessary to search for other therapies and other therapeutic targets. In this sense, the epigenetic regulators of neoplasia could be a promising object of study in the search for new research advances. ABSTRACT: Canine malignant lymphoma is a common neoplasia in dogs, and some studies have used dogs as a research model for molecular mechanisms of lymphomas in humans. In two species, chemotherapy is the treatment of choice, but the resistance to conventional anticancer drugs is frequent. The knowledge of molecular mechanisms of development and progression of neoplasia has expanded in recent years, and the underlying epigenetic mechanisms are increasingly well known. These studies open up new ways of discovering therapeutic biomarkers. Histone deacetylases and demethylase inhibitors could be a future treatment for canine lymphoma, and the use of microRNAs as diagnosis and prognosis biomarkers is getting closer. This review summarises the epigenetic mechanisms underlying canine lymphoma and their possible application as treatment and biomarkers, both prognostic and diagnostic.