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Background: Transmissible venereal tumour (TVT), also called Sticker Tumour, is a round cell tumour whose transmission occurs mainly through sexual contact between animals or direct transplantation of the neoplastic cell through licking or through direct contact with the lesioned area. TVT is the most common tumor found in stray dogs and predominantly affects the genital area and, in case of bitches, occurs in the vagina and foreskin, as well as the oral and nasal cavities. Intracavitary TVT is rarely reported. The aim of this paper is to report a case of an old neutered bitch affected by vaginal and intracavitary TVT, treated at the Veterinary School Clinic (CVE) of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Curitibanos campus, Brazil. Case: An approximately 10-year-old mixed breed bitch, weighing 18,5 kg and, neutered 2 years previously at the same institution, was brought by her owner, who reported dyskinesia, constipation, and serosanguinous vaginal discharge for a few weeks. Physical examination showed a row of 4 smooth, round masses with a soft consistency ranging from 1 to 2 cm at the bottom of the vaginal roof. The patient was referred for an ultrasound (US) and a vaginal swab was taken for cytological examination, whose result demonstrated TVT. The result of the US scan showed a heterogeneously shaped structure, with a more hypoechogenic center in relation to the periphery and irregular contours, measuring around 2.63 x 6.10 cm, in the uterine topography caudally to the bladder. Exploratory laparotomy was performed with total removal of the mass, which was surrounding the proximal urethra, and the material was sent for histological and cytological analysis, whose both results indicated TVT. Chemotherapy was then initiated, with 6 intravenous administrations of vincristine (0.5 mg/m2) with an interval of 15 days between each administration. The animal underwent a total of 6 chemotherapy sessions, without complete improvement of the vaginal tumours. A 2nd chemotherapy protocol based on doxorubicin was suggested, which was not accepted by the owner. Three months after the end of the original chemotherapy protocol, the patient was assessed again and it was found that there had been no progression of the vaginal masses on vaginal palpation and no signs of recurrence of the intracavitary mass on ultrasound. Discussion: TVT is a venereal tumor that affects almost 100% of non-neutered animals, males and females. In the case of bitches, the most common sites are the vagina (53%), vulva (13%) and extragenital areas (14%). This animal had no intracavitary mass at the time of her castration 2 years earlier. At the time of diagnosis, she had the extragenital form of the tumor, consisting of an intra-abdominal mass, in addition to the genital masses in the vaginal roof. The chemotherapy drug vincristine is the drug of choice for the treatment of transmissible venereal tumors, due to its high efficacy associated with 4 to 6 sessions. However, in this case, there was no total improvement, so it was classified as a case of proven pharmacological resistance as the chemotherapy was ineffective for the complete regression of the tumor. It was therefore concluded that the occurrence of intracavitary TVTs, although rare, warrants a thorough physical examination combined with diagnostic tools such as ultrasound and histology, even in castrated old patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Canine oral melanoma is highly aggressive, with an infiltrative and metastatic behavior. The staging scheme for dogs with oral melanoma is primarily based on size, with stage I = < 2 cm diameter tumor, stage II = 2 cm to < 4 cm diameter tumor, stage III = 4 cm or greater tumor and/or lymph node metastasis and stage IV = distant metastasis. Surgery and radiation therapy are commonly used for local treatment of oral melanoma. Surgery must be aggressive and wide excision, such as partial mandibulectomy or maxillectomy, can be declined by owners. Median survival times for dogs with oral melanoma treated with surgery and chemotherapy is approximately seventeen, five and three months with stage I, II and III disease, respectively. Radiation therapy plays a role in the local treatment of canine melanoma when the tumor is not surgically resectable, the tumor has been removed with incomplete margins and/or the melanoma has metastasized to local lymph nodes without further distant metastasis. Case: A dog with stage III oral melanoma was treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The protocol consisted of three 8 gy radiation fractions (days 0, 7 and 21) delivered by an orthovoltage unit. Energy of 120 kV, 15 mA e 2 mm aluminum filter were used. Collimator size was 6 x 8 cm and source to skin distance was 30 cm. Dose rate was 187 cgy/ minute delivered at 1 cm tissue depth, with the animal positioned in left recumbency. Treatment field included visible tumor plus a three cm margin. Lead sheets of 2 mm thickness were used to protect normal tissues around tumor. The dog was anesthetized with propofol (5 mg/kg EV) for correct position every radiation fraction. The chemotherapy consisted of four cycles of carboplatin (300 mg/m2 intravenously) administered every 21 days. The radiation therapy was well tolerated, and the only acute reaction observed in the irradiated field was epilation. The tumor had a partial remission of about 90% of the lesion, which was stable for six months. Discussion: The reported dog had a mandibular melanoma greater than 4 cm diameter with no evidence of regional or distant metastasis, and was diagnosed as having stage III disease. The animal was referred for radiation therapy because of non-acceptance of the owner to carry out the hemimandibulectomy, believing that the animal would have decreased quality of life to have a short survival even with surgery and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy was delivered with palliative intention to reduce tumor size and animal discomfort. With radiation therapy and chemotherapy, survival time was six months, exceeding the median survival for patients with stage III treated with wide surgical excision and chemotherapy (that would be three months), without showing side effects that diminish its quality of life. Systemic chemotherapy was used in the reported case with the purposes of acting as a radiopotentiation agent and delaying development of metastasis. Carboplatin has been used as radiopotentiation agent because it interferes with DNA synthesis. In the reported case, chemotherapy was well tolerated. Common radiation side effects include stomatitis, glossitis, skin epilation, erythema and desquamation. In the reported dog, treatment was very well tolerated, and only skin epilation was observed. Radiation therapy can be considered as an alternative option for oral melanoma when wide surgical resection is declined by owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]