engleski

A cutaneous melanoma in a 19-year old Russian blue- mix cat

Cutaneous melanomas of any site in cats are rare, representing approximately 0.5% of feline skin tumors. This neoplasm shows no sex or breed predisposition, but some authors suggest that cats with black or gray haircoats are predisposed to melanocytic tumors in general. We present a case of a 19-year-old, female-spayed, grey, Russian blue-mix cat with a mass on the lateral side of the right tarsus, which has been growing for over a year. The mass was nodular, 1.5 cm in diameter, black-to-white, and firm. A melanocytic tumor was presumed on cytology based on the presence of cells containing brown intracytoplasmic pigment. The mass was removed and submitted for histopathology. Histology revealed pockets composed of spindle, epithelioid, polygonal and round cells, surrounded by low amounts of fibrous stroma. Some cells contained brown intracytoplasmic granules which stained positive on Fontana-Masson stain, corresponding to melanocytes. Following histology, a cutaneous melanoma was diagnosed. Whole-body X-ray did not reveal metastases. On the 2 months follow-up the cat did not show signs of recurrence or metastases. Melanomas are uncommon malignant tumors of domestic cats, mostly reported in older cats on the head and trunk, with a short median survival time (4.5 months). We present a case of cutaneous melanoma in a grey cat, located on the distal part of the hind leg, which did not lead to death 2 months after diagnosis. This case contributes to the sparse knowledge of the biology of feline cutaneous melanomas.

Cutaneous melanoma, Russian blue, cat

nije evidentirano