Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diagnosing and understanding oral melanoma in dogs
By Reynolds, Brooke & Bell, Cynthia M·Published in Journal of veterinary dentistry·2025·Hospital for Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnostic and Prognostic Challenges of Oral Melanoma in Dogs: A Literature Review and 2 Case Studies.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in with a growth in its mouth that was initially thought to be a benign tumor. After further testing, it turned out to be an amelanotic oral melanoma, which is a type of cancer that can be hard to identify because it doesn't have the usual dark pigmentation. Another case involved a 7-year-old Labrador with a similar issue, which was misdiagnosed as a different type of tumor. Both dogs faced challenges in getting the right diagnosis, but understanding the specific characteristics of oral melanoma can help veterinarians make better decisions.
People also search for: dog mouth tumor diagnosis · oral melanoma in dogs · amelanotic melanoma treatment · signs of dog oral cancer
Abstract
Oral melanoma is the most common maxillofacial malignancy in dogs. A unique characteristic of melanoma is its ability to mimic other oral tumors, which makes it one of the most challenging oral tumors to diagnose, especially since 30% to 40% of cases are amelanotic. This article presents 2 case reports of dogs with amelanotic oral melanoma that were both diagnostically challenging. Case 1 is a sparsely pigmented, spindle cell oral melanoma that was initially diagnosed as benign fibrous hyperplasia and subsequently suspected to be fibrosarcoma. Case 2 is an amelanotic oral melanoma that was originally diagnosed as an extramedullary plasmacytoma. This report highlights features of each of the cases while also discussing strategies to optimize the diagnosis of oral melanoma in dogs. A literature review summarizes the diagnostic evaluation of oral melanoma and how it pertains to prognostication.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39819144/