General Considerations
•dermal melanoma is rare in cats but 50% are malignant
•etiology is unknown but alterations in oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and immune surveillance are involved
•feline melanoma can be induced experimentally with FeSV but unlikely to be involved naturally
•mean age 10-12 years
•sites: head and especially ocular and eyelids
Treatment
•surgery
•± gene therapy, radiation therapy, local hyperthermia, photodynamic therapy, and intralesional cisplatin
•durable response to course-fraction radiation therapy
•responses are short-lived for photodynamic therapy, hyperthermia, and intralesional cisplatin
•chemotherapy is usually ineffective (agents include mitoxantrone, doxorubicin, platinums, and melphalan)
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DERMAL MELANOMA
