Canine and Feline Melanoma: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prognosis.
- 1College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Melanocytic tumors are clinically important in veterinary oncology because their biological behavior, diagnosis, and prognosis vary substantially by species and anatomical site. Canine oral melanoma is characterized by aggressive local invasion and early metastatic spread, whereas melanocytic tumors at other canine sites and in cats show distinct clinicopathologic features that require different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This narrative review was based on a structured literature search of PubMed, with searches organized around epidemiology and biological behavior, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. A total of 1887 records were identified after removal of duplicates, and 111 publications were ultimately included following title, abstract, and full-text screening. This review summarizes current evidence on the epidemiology, molecular biology, diagnosis, clinical staging, treatment, and prognosis of canine and feline melanocytic neoplasms. Diagnostic approaches include cytology, histopathology, immunohistochemistry for amelanotic tumors, advanced imaging, sentinel lymph node mapping, and emerging molecular methods. Therapeutic options include surgery, radiation therapy, electrochemotherapy, chemotherapy, therapeutic vaccination, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and targeted therapies. Prognostic factors include tumor location and stage, histologic grade, mitotic count, nuclear atypia, pigmentation, tissue invasion, and molecular biomarkers. Surgical excision remains the cornerstone of treatment for localized disease, but effective systemic therapies for advanced melanoma remain limited. Ongoing molecular characterization, genomic profiling, and comparative oncology research may improve prognostic stratification and support more precise therapeutic strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{jeong2026canine,
title = {{Canine and Feline Melanoma: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prognosis.}},
author = {Haein Jeong and Minyeong Shin and Yujin Kim and Minseo Ko and Dong-In Jung and Kyu-Woan Cho and Hyeona Bae},
journal = {Veterinary sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/vetsci13101053},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944149},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Canine and Feline Melanoma: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prognosis.
AU - Haein Jeong
AU - Minyeong Shin
AU - Yujin Kim
AU - Minseo Ko
AU - Dong-In Jung
AU - Kyu-Woan Cho
AU - Hyeona Bae
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Veterinary sciences
DO - 10.3390/vetsci13101053
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944149
AB - Melanocytic tumors are clinically important in veterinary oncology because their biological behavior, diagnosis, and prognosis vary substantially by species and anatomical site. Canine oral melanoma is characterized by aggressive local invasion and early metastatic spread, whereas melanocytic tumors at other canine sites and in cats show distinct clinicopathologic features that require different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This narrative review was based on a structured literature search of PubMed, with searches organized around epidemiology and biological behavior, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. A total of 1887 records were identified after removal of duplicates, and 111 publications were ultimately included following title, abstract, and full-text screening. This review summarizes current evidence on the epidemiology, molecular biology, diagnosis, clinical staging, treatment, and prognosis of canine and feline melanocytic neoplasms. Diagnostic approaches include cytology, histopathology, immunohistochemistry for amelanotic tumors, advanced imaging, sentinel lymph node mapping, and emerging molecular methods. Therapeutic options include surgery, radiation therapy, electrochemotherapy, chemotherapy, therapeutic vaccination, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and targeted therapies. Prognostic factors include tumor location and stage, histologic grade, mitotic count, nuclear atypia, pigmentation, tissue invasion, and molecular biomarkers. Surgical excision remains the cornerstone of treatment for localized disease, but effective systemic therapies for advanced melanoma remain limited. Ongoing molecular characterization, genomic profiling, and comparative oncology research may improve prognostic stratification and support more precise therapeutic strategies.
SN - 2306-7381
ER -