A new study from Cornell University suggests some horses are more susceptible than others to sarcoid skin tumors. Researchers found regions on two chromosomes that differed in horses with the tumors compared to those without, indicating to the researchers that, at least in part, a horse’s genes can determine how susceptible it is to the tumors.
Source: Seeker, June 13, 2016. (via AVMA SmartBrief, June 14, 2016)
According to the scientists, that finding mirrors the fact that some people have a genetic susceptibility to the human papillomavirus that causes some cancers, including cervical cancer.
“That should make a light bulb go off,” Antczak said. “It suggests there’s a common mechanism in both species for susceptibility to tumor progression that may involve subversion of the host immune response. By studying this phenomenon in horses you can learn about human cancer and vice versa.”