Epidemiological assessment of the risk of canine mast cell tumours based on the Kiupel two-grade malignancy classification

Background The degree of differentiation of mast cell tumours (MCTs) is the most important feature and reflects the morphological characteristics and metastatic potential of the tumour and its likely response to treatment and the prognosis. The aim of this study was to epidemiologically analyse the risk of MCT development in dogs according to breed, age, sex, size and anatomical location of the tumour using the Kiupel grading system. The analysis involved 492 dogs selected based on a histopathological assessment of 2763 canine skin tumours. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals.