Microarray-based cytogenetic profiling reveals recurrent and subtype-associated genomic copy number aberrations in feline sarcomas

Injection-site-associated sarcomas (ISAS), commonly arising at the site of routine vaccine administration, afflict as many as 22,000 domestic cats annually in the USA. These tumors are typically more aggressive and prone to recurrence than spontaneous sarcomas (non-ISAS), generally receiving a poorer long-term prognosis and warranting a more aggressive therapeutic approach. Although certain clinical and histological factors are highly suggestive of ISAS, timely diagnosis and optimal clinical management may be hindered by the absence of definitive markers that can distinguish between tumors with underlying injection-related etiology and their spontaneous counterpart. Specific nonrandom chromosome copy number aberrations (CNAs) have been associated with the clinical behavior of a vast spectrum of human tumors, providing an extensive resource of potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Although similar principles are now being applied with great success in other species, their relevance to feline molecular oncology has not yet been investigated in any detail. We report the construction of a genomic microarray platform for detection of recurrent CNAs in feline tumors through cytogenetic assignment of 210 large-insert DNA clones selected at intervals of ∼15 Mb from the feline genome sequence assembly. Microarray-based profiling of 19 ISAS and 27 non-ISAS cases identified an extensive range of genomic imbalances that were highly recurrent throughout the combined panel of 46 sarcomas. Deletions of two specific regions were significantly associated with the non-ISAS phenotype. Further characterization of these regions may ultimately permit molecular distinction between ISAS and non-ISAS, as a tool for predicting tumor behavior and prognosis, as well as refining means for therapeutic intervention.