MicroRNA blood test research advances canine splenic mass triage

A new study suggests circulating microRNAs could help veterinarians sort malignant from benign canine splenic masses before or alongside surgery, potentially giving clinicians a better read on hemangiosarcoma risk earlier in the workup. In the 2025 Veterinary Pathology paper, researchers from the University of Guelph and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna evaluated 59 microRNAs in serum and tissue from dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma, benign splenic masses, other splenic tumors, and normal controls. Their serum model, built from five microRNAs, correctly identified all dogs with hemangiosarcoma in the study cohort when distinguishing them from normal dogs and dogs with benign splenic masses, with an overall accuracy of 86%. A separate three-microRNA tissue model classified 96% of hemangiosarcoma versus benign splenic mass cases. The authors say the approach could support screening, diagnosis, and point-of-care decision-making, though they stress it still needs validation in additional populations and in samples collected before diagnosis. (journals.sagepub.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the appeal is obvious: dogs with splenic masses often present either as incidental imaging findings or as emergencies after rupture and hemoabdomen, and imaging alone still can’t reliably distinguish hematoma from hemangiosarcoma. Histopathology remains the gold standard, but it comes after splenectomy, and even then diagnosis can be challenging in some cases. Prognosis can differ dramatically — benign lesions such as hematoma or nodular hyperplasia may be cured with surgery, while splenic hemangiosarcoma still carries a poor median survival of roughly 6 to 9 months even with chemotherapy. A reliable blood-based assay could therefore help surgeons, emergency clinicians, oncologists, and pet parents make faster, better-informed decisions about surgery, referral, staging, and expectations — and in some cases may even encourage owners to pursue potentially lifesaving surgery when a benign outcome appears more likely. That unmet need is already driving translational work at Cornell aimed at a rapid point-of-care hemangiosarcoma test based on serum microRNA biomarkers. (journals.sagepub.com)

What to watch: The next key step is prospective validation, especially whether a preoperative or screening blood test can hold up in real-world cases before rupture or surgery and across the broader spectrum of non-hemangiosarcoma splenic malignancies that also affect prognosis and decision-making. (journals.sagepub.com)