Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Radiation treatment results for oral melanoma in five cats
By Farrelly, John et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2004·Donaldson-Atwood Cancer Clinic, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypofractionated radiation therapy of oral melanoma in five cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Five cats aged 11 to 15 years were diagnosed with oral melanoma and treated with a type of radiation therapy called hypofractionated radiation therapy. They received a total of 24 Gray of radiation, with some also getting chemotherapy. While three of the cats showed some response to the treatment, including one that had a complete response, all five cats were eventually euthanized due to the progression of their disease. The average survival time after starting treatment was about 146 days, indicating that while the radiation may help initially, it doesn't provide a long-lasting solution for oral melanoma in cats.
People also search for: cat oral melanoma treatment · radiation therapy for cats · cat cancer survival rates
Abstract
Five cats with melanoma involving the oral cavity were treated with hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT). Cobalt photons were used to administer three fractions of 8.0 Gray (Gy) for a total dose of 24 Gy. Four cats received radiation on days 0, 7, and 21 and one cat received radiation on days 0, 7, and 13. One of the cats received additional irradiation following the initial treatment course. Two cats received chemotherapy. Their age ranged from 11 to 15 years with a median age of 12 years. Three cats had a response to radiation, including one complete response and two partial responses. All five cats were euthanized due to progression of disease, with one cat having evidence of metastatic disease at the time of euthanasia. The median survival time for the five cats was 146 days (range 66-224 days) from the start of RT. The results of this study suggest that oral melanoma in cats may be responsive to hypofractionated RT, but response does not seem to be durable.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15005368/