Emilia-Romagna “Bruno Ubertini”

Canine UCs were retrospectively selected from the database of multiple departments: the Pathology Service of the Department of Veterinary Medical Science, University of Bologna, the Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, City University of Hong Kong and the Veterinary Pathology Unit of the Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental, and Animal Sciences, University of Udine. Samples were available as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues (FFPE).

1 Introduction The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex and dynamic network of cells that infiltrates and surrounds the tumor. Its interaction with neoplastic cells plays a pivotal role in shaping tumor behavior, influencing progression, malignancy, and therapeutic response. While this relationship is well documented in human oncology, it remains an emerging area of investigation in veterinary medicine.