Use of adjuvant carboplatin for treatment of dogs with oral malignant melanoma following surgical excision

Abstract

Melanoma is the most common oral malignancy in dogs. This retrospective study evaluated adjuvant carboplatin chemotherapy (with or without radiation therapy) in 17 dogs with malignant oral melanoma following surgical resection. The median dosage and number of doses of carboplatin administered to the 17 dogs was 300 mg m(-2) (range, 150-300 mg m(-2)) and 4 (range, 2-11), respectively. The overall median progression-free survival for all dogs was 259 days [95% confidence interval (CI95), 119-399 days]. The first progression-free survival event was local recurrence in seven dogs (41%) and metastases in seven dogs (41%). The median overall survival for all dogs was 440 days (CI95, 247-633 days). The tumour was the cause of death in 10 dogs (59%). On the basis of this study, systemic therapy with carboplatin may be an appropriate adjunct to local treatment for canine malignant melanoma, although future prospective controlled studies are needed to compare treatment modalities for this aggressive neoplasia.

Cancer immunology and canine malignant melanoma: A comparative review

“…Multiple different chemotherapy protocols have been described for CMM but responses can be described as modest at best (Boria et al, 2004;Page et al, 1991;Rassnick et al, 2001). A recent study suggested adjunct post-operative carboplatin might be of use in CMM; however, as there was no control group in this study a definitive conclusion cannot be made (Dank et al, 2014). The role of conventional chemotherapy in human mucosal melanoma is also unclear (Mihajlovic et al, 2012).…”

Outcome following curative-intent surgery for oral melanoma in dogs: 70 cases (1998–2011)

“…5,9,10,33 Overall PFIs similarly vary from 78 to 259 days. In general, reported overall median ST for dogs with oral melanoma varies greatly, depending on factors such as stage of disease and type of treatment, and range from 147 to 440 days.…”

CSPG4-Specific Immunity and Survival Prolongation in Dogs with Oral Malignant Melanoma Immunized with Human CSPG4 DNA

“…Primary tumor en bloc resection and regional lymphadenectomy, and/or radiotherapy are the preferred treatment methods and result in locoregional control of MM in up to 75% of dogs. Disappointingly, the 1-year survival rate is less than 30%, even after adjuvant chemotherapy (38); besides, the addition of radiotherapy to surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy did not result in a significant increase of the disease-free period (39). The USDA has licensed a xenogeneic DNA vaccine against tyrosinase, ONCEPT (Merial), but its efficacy has been recently questioned (25).…”