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A malignant melanoma tumor tends to grow rapidly, and may spread rapidly to other parts of the body such as the lymph nodes, liver, or lungs. Hence, early detection of any suspicious lumps and prompt treatment, is key to improving the cat's chances of survival.
Malignant melanoma is an aggressive form of cancer, most likely to affect the skin, eyes, or mouth of cats. Fortunately, it is relatively rare, and represents less than 2 percent of all forms of cancer in cats.
Malignant Melanoma Average Cost
From 483 quotes ranging from $3,000 - $8,000
Average Cost
$6,000
"Melanoma" refers to the pigment melanin produced by certain cells in the body. In a melanoma tumor, these pigment cells grow out of control and generate a cancer or tumor. The signs are:
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Unlike in people, malignant melanoma in cats is rarely the result of excessive exposure to the sun. No infective cause has been linked to the development of melanoma and it seems likely that a spontaneous genetic mutation of melanin producing cells is the most likely explanation.
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The veterinarian will perform a thorough clinical examination, including checking the cat's irises. As well as assessing any suspicious lumps, they will feel the cat's lymph nodes for any tell-tale signs of enlargement.
There is a high index of suspicion of cancer in any darkly pigmented lump, especially one that is growing rapidly. Therefore the vet may opt for an 'excisional biopsy'. This involves anesthetizing the patient and surgically removing the lump with wide skin margins. The lump is then sent to a pathology lab for histology (analysis of the cells present), which will give a definitive diagnosis.
In addition, the vet may remove enlarged lymph nodes or harvest a small sample of cells via a fine needle aspirate. This is to check for any secondary spread, and guide the vet as to whether surgery is likely to be curative or not.
The vet may also wish to radiograph (x-ray) the cat's chest and scan the abdomen, to look for evidence of secondary spread. Again, this helps with decision making with regards to what the future holds and whether therapies such as radiotherapy are appropriate.
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The cat's best chance of a full recovery is with early removal of any suspicious lumps, with wide margins. By removing all the cancer cells in one surgery, this reduces the chances of that particular lump seeding off cancerous cells.
Unfortunately, the location of some melanomas, such as in the eye or mouth, can make surgery complex and highly invasive. It some cases removal of the eye is indicated, which can be done by a first opinion vet. Alternatively, if the mouth is affected, referral to a special surgeon for radical surgery involving removal of part of the jaw may be necessary.
After surgery, the result of histopathology can guide the clinician as to how clean the margins of removal were, and whether follow up treatments with radiotherapy might be beneficial or not.
Radiotherapy is undertaken at a few specialist centers, and does require a full general anesthetic for each treatment.
The cat owner and the veterinarian need to keep a close eye on the cat's quality of life when considering intensive courses of therapy.
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Sadly, the long-term outlook for cats with malignant melanoma is poor. The average survival time for cats with an oral melanoma is just two months, whilst those that had surgery on a skin site lived a further four to five months. For those cats with a melanoma of the eye, around 50 percent went on to develop melanoma-related disease elsewhere in the body.
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Malignant Melanoma Average Cost
From 483 quotes ranging from $3,000 - $8,000
Average Cost
$6,000
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Ask a Vet
Tito
Black
5 Years
Moderate severity
1 found helpful
Moderate severity
Has Symptoms
My cat has had a brown mass in his left eye for a few years. He's been checked out by a vet numerous times but none have commented on it. It was never a concern to me until last year I was interested in finding out why he had this brown mass in his eye while my other cat did not have that. After doing my research I started to panic a bit. My cat is a 5 year old black male cat and he is very healthy/happy. Since I have not tracked the growth of this when it began, I can't tell just how worse it has gotten or when it even began. All I do know is that it is not growing rapidly. It's been a year since I started paying attention to it I can't say with any certainty it's gotten bigger. Aside from the brown mass, there are other tiny brown spots that look like they are forming. The only real change I can see is the darkening of these spots or "merging" together. All the brown masses look flat. His pupils have no problem dilating. He seems to have perfect vision. Should I be really worried like I am? I am so scared it will get worse.
June 11, 2018
Tito's Owner
1 Recommendations
You should have the mass checked again by your Veterinarian especially if there are changes to either size, shape or colour; without examining Tito I cannot start to say whether you should be concerned or not, but the growth of the mass is generally concerning and may result in other issues. Whilst the mass may not affect vision now, it may start to obstruct eyesight or even get damaged from scratching or other injuries. Your Veterinarian may examine the mass and take a fine needle aspiration, biopsy or just remove the mass and send for histopathology. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
June 12, 2018
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Pepper
tabby
6 Months
Serious severity
0 found helpful
Serious severity
Has Symptoms
My cat had a gorwth at the base of her tail, approximately an inch from her anus. The mass was removed from the site last week and today we found out it was a malignant melanoma (through biopsy and lab results). I was wondering how often cats end up living a long life after a melanoma has been removed. I saw the 2-5 month listed above which is the avg I guess. But is it rare to have a cat live a long healthy life after removal?
Malignant Melanoma Average Cost
From 483 quotes ranging from $3,000 - $8,000
Average Cost
$6,000
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