Use of adjuvant carboplatin for treatment of dogs with oral malignant melanoma following surgical excision

Melanoma is the most common oral malignancy in dogs. This retrospective study evaluated adjuvant carboplatin chemotherapy (with or without radiation therapy) in 17 dogs with malignant oral melanoma following surgical resection. The median dosage and number of doses of carboplatin administered to the 17 dogs was 300mgm^-2 (range, 150-300mgm^-2) and 4 (range, 2-11), respectively. The overall median progression-free survival for all dogs was 259days [95% confidence interval (CI₉₅), 119-399days]. The first progression-free survival event was local recurrence in seven dogs (41%) and metastases in seven dogs (41%). The median overall survival for all dogs was 440days (CI₉₅, 247-633days). The tumour was the cause of death in 10 dogs (59%). On the basis of this study, systemic therapy with carboplatin may be an appropriate adjunct to local treatment for canine malignant melanoma, although future prospective controlled studies are needed to compare treatment modalities for this aggressive neoplasia.