Abstract
Neoplasms of melanocytic origin are diseases relevant to dogs and cats’ ophthalmic oncology due to their incidence, potential visual loss, and consequent decrease in life quality and expectancy. Despite its non-specific clinical presentation, melanocytic neoplasms can be histologically distinguished in melanocytomas, which present benign characteristics, and malignant melanomas. The diagnosis often occurs in advanced cases, limiting the therapeutic options. Surgery, cryotherapy, radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and laser are currently available therapeutic strategies. As no clinical guidelines are available, the treatment choice is primarily based on the clinician’s preference, proficiency, and the owner’s financial constraints. While surgery is curative in benign lesions, ocular melanomas present a variable response to treatments, besides the potential of tumour recurrences or metastatic disease. This review presents the currently available therapies for ocular melanocytic neoplasms in dogs and cats, describing the therapeutic, indications, and limitations. Additionally, new therapeutics being developed are presented and discussed, as they can improve the current treatment options.
Highlights
Veterinary ophthalmologic diseases comprise a wide range of diseases affecting the orbit, globe, and adnexa structures
Ocular melanomas present variable response rates to treatno clinical guidelines are available for the treatment of eye neoplasms
The limited reports in dogs and cats, photodynamic therapy (PDT) successfully treated intraocular melanomas induced in rabbits [114,115,116,117,118], with neoplasm growth arrest [115], irreversible regression [117], and neoplasm destruction [114,116]
Summary
Veterinary ophthalmologic diseases comprise a wide range of diseases affecting the orbit, globe, and adnexa structures. The variable response rates, the visual loss and the impact the patient’s expecbehaviour of melanocytic neoplasms, lesion characteristic, lesion progression, anatomical tancy make the development of new therapies extremely relevant [10,12,74]. Ocular melanomas present variable response rates to treatno clinical guidelines are available for the treatment of eye neoplasms. The variable response rates, the visual loss and the impact on the patient’s life expectancy make the development of new therapies extremely relevant [10,12,74] This manuscript aimed to review the currently available and under research treatments for ocular melanocytic neoplasia in dogs and cats
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