Dogs serve as attractive systems for identifying the genes associated with certain cancers, especially cancers that are difficult to study in humans but that occur frequently in certain dog breeds. For example, histiocytic sarcoma is rare in humans but occurs in 15% to 25% of Bernese Mountain Dogs. To examine the genetics of histiocytic sarcoma, Shearin and colleagues analyzed genomic DNA from Bernese Mountain Dogs, and report a cancer-associated locus spanning the MTAP and CDKN2A genes. The locus is within a region homologous to human chromosome 9p21, which has been implicated in several human cancers. This study demonstrates the power of examining distinctive malignancies in predisposed dog breeds.

Although increased breast cancer risk has been observed in night shift workers, the reasons for this are unclear. Peplonska and colleagues investigated the hypothesis that rotating night shift work is associated with disruptions in melatonin synthesis and increased mammographic density. They measured...

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