Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival times for dogs with melanoma at a Japanese hospital
By Teng, Kendy Tzu-Yun et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2026·Department of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Survival of dogs with melanoma from a referral veterinary hospital in Japan.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study of 123 dogs diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, found that those who had surgery to remove the tumor lived longer than those who did not. On average, dogs that had surgery survived about 294 days, while those without surgery only survived around 93 days. The location of the melanoma also mattered; dogs with oral melanomas had a much shorter survival time compared to those with tumors in other areas. Miniature Schnauzers and Toy Poodles tended to have better survival rates than Golden Retrievers. Overall, early detection and surgical treatment can significantly improve outcomes for dogs with melanoma.
People also search for: dog melanoma treatment · survival rates for dog melanoma · oral melanoma in dogs · surgery for dog skin cancer
Abstract
Canine melanoma is a malignant cancer affecting dogs, especially in the oral cavity, digits, and skin. This study investigated survival outcomes in 123 dogs diagnosed with melanoma at a veterinary teaching hospital in Japan between April 1, 2004, and March 31, 2023. Data were retrospectively obtained from electronic clinical records, with survival analysis performed using Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank tests, and parametric survival models. The median survival time (MST) for all dogs was 244 days. Dogs that underwent surgical tumor removal had significantly longer survival (MST: 294 days) compared to those without surgery (MST: 93 days, P<0.001). The final parametric model with a log-logistic distribution identified tumor stage, location, and breed as key prognostic factors. Miniature Schnauzers and Toy Poodles had 3.36- and 4.80-fold longer survival times, respectively, compared to Golden Retrievers. Oral melanomas were associated with a 66% shorter survival time than non-oral melanomas (median survival times: 191 vs. 663 days; P=0.019). Advanced melanoma stages significantly decreased survival; time ratios for stage III and stage IV compared to stage I were 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33-1.07; P-value: 0.084) and 0.42 (95% CI: 0.22-0.77; P-value: 0.006), respectively. These findings enhance understanding of canine melanoma in Japan and emphasize the need for multi-center studies to confirm these results.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41672547/