Introduction
The primary goal of treating canine melanoma is to relieve the clinical signs that accompany the disorder. Good nursing care, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment and other medical therapies are available to treat melanoma.
Treating Melanoma in Dogs
Benign Skin Melanocytomas
Melanocytomas of the skin usually begin and remain benign, but they can progress to malignancy. If the affected areas of skin are bothersome to the dog, or if a veterinarian feels that they should be removed, simple surgical excision is available. In most cases, the results of surgery and the prognosis for the dog are excellent if the melanoma is benign.
Malignant Melanoma
Dogs with malignant melanoma need immediate treatment. Malignant melanoma is an extremely aggressive type of cancer that requires swift and complete surgical removal of the affected area and much of the surrounding tissue as well, to obtain “wide margins” of clean tissue resection. In cases of oral melanoma, the entire jaw and maybe other areas of the mouth may need to be removed. Fortunately, reconstructive surgery can help repair and rebuild these areas. Nearby lymph nodes may also need to be removed. If the cancer is in the nail bed, surgical excision frequently includes amputation of the affected limb. Surgery is commonly followed by radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is also recommended in almost all cases – with or without surgery - because of the highly metastatic nature of this type of cancer.
In 2007, the USDA conditionally licensed a vaccine for the treatment of canine malignant melanoma. This vaccine has been shown to produce immune reactions in dogs resulting in tumor rejection and prolongation of survival times. Studies continue about this and other potential treatments for canine melanoma.