ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Oncology in Veterinary Medicine
This article is part of the Research TopicAnimal Cancer EpidemiologyView all 3 articles
Comparative epidemiological analysis of tumors of the digestive system in dogs and cats
Provisionally accepted
Diana Araújo1
Gabriela Fernandes Silva1Fátima Carvalho1Nuno Vale2
Joao Niza-Ribeiro1
Ana Isabel Ribeiro3Irina Amorim1
Katia Pinello1,4*- 1Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas Abel Salazar, Porto, Portugal
- 2Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Medicina, Porto, Portugal
- 3Universidade do Porto Instituto de Saude Publica, Porto, Portugal
- 4Name : Veterinary Oncology Network (Vet-Onconet), Porto, Portugal
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Abstract: Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are a leading reason for veterinary care. This study analyzed digestive tract tumors in dogs and cats in Portugal using data from the Vet-OncoNet database, focusing on frequency, risk factors, and geographic distribution. A total of 1213 cases were included: 617 dogs (50.9%) and 596 cats (49.1%), with a higher proportion of males (54.9%) than females (45.1%). The most affected organs overall were the small intestine (26.5%) and liver/intrahepatic bile ducts (16.7%). In dogs, tumors were mainly located in the liver and bile ducts (25.8%), rectum (19.0%), small intestine (13.8%), and stomach (8.9%). In cats, the small intestine was the primary site (39.6%), followed by liver/bile ducts (7.4%), stomach (7.3%), and colon (3.5%). Lymphoma was the most common tumor type in both species (42.2%), followed by adenocarcinoma (19.0%). Among dogs, mixed breeds, Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, and French Bulldogs were most affected. In cats, Common European, mixed-breed, and Norwegian Forest cats predominated. The incidence rate (IR) of digestive tumors was 3.5 times higher in cats than dogs. Male cats had a 1.5 times higher IR than females. Cats also had 16 times higher risk for GI lymphoma and twice the risk for adenocarcinoma compared to dogs. Certain dog breeds, including West Highland White Terrier, Siberian Husky, 2 and Golden Retriever, showed higher tumor incidence. Spatial analysis revealed concentration in urbanized areas, particularly around Porto and Lisbon. These findings highlight notable species-specific differences in digestive tract tumors, suggesting distinct genetic predispositions and possible environmental influences.
Keywords: Epidemiology, Digestive tract neoplasms, Comparative Oncology, Dogs, Cats, Vet-OncoNet
Received: 08 Sep 2025; Accepted: 22 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Araújo, Fernandes Silva, Carvalho, Vale, Niza-Ribeiro, Ribeiro, Amorim and Pinello. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Katia Pinello, katiapinello@gmail.com
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