dc.description.abstract | Mast cell tumors are the most common cutaneous tumors in dogs and their etiology remains
incompletely understood. Concurrently, sterilization is one of the most frequently conducted
surgical procedure on the reproductive system of dogs. Several studies have explored the
potential link between the risk of development of mast cell tumors and sterilization. The
purpose of this thesis was to offer a comprehensive overview about the occurrence of mast
cell tumors in sterilized and intact dogs, and to analyze the results of the conducted studies,
while giving an overview of their hypotheses, methodologies, and findings, as well as their
limitations and the conclusions researchers have drawn from them. | en_US |