ORAL MELANOMA IN DOGS: NEW HOPE FOR A BAD DISEASE
Melanoma is the most common malignant tumor found in the mouth of a dog. It tends to be very aggressive and unless the tumor is found early and aggressive surgery is done at the time, cure is often impossible. It is often difficult to find the tumors when they are small and in the early stage since they are often covered by the tongue or lip.
When it becomes impossible to cure the condition with surgery, then radiation therapy as well as chemotherapy are sometimes employed with mixed results. Overall, treatment outcomes are often disappointing and the patients are euthanized soon after diagnosis in many cases.
A new treatment has recently become available which offers many of these patients afflicted with oral melanoma new hope. It is actually a vaccine developed that is currently licensed to treat melanoma in dogs. The vaccine was developed through a partnership between Merial, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Animal Medical Center of New York. The vaccine can only be used by veterinary cancer specialists (oncologists) and is designed to work in conjunction with other treatment modalities such as surgery and radiation.
Some clinical studies have shown that the vaccine will increase the life span in some dogs that have oral melanoma. Because the vaccine can only be administered under the guidance of a veterinary oncologist, referral would be necessary. However, for many of us that love our pets, the extra drive may be well worth it.
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