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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / The Impact of Excision Interval on Equine Melanoma Progressi...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2024; 14(8); doi: 10.3390/ani14081244

The Impact of Excision Interval on Equine Melanoma Progression: Time Matters?

Abstract: Equine melanomas are a common neoplasm in gray horses. However, scientific knowledge about their progression over time is quite scarce. Some owners and veterinarians still believe that early intervention is not necessary, stating that tumors evolve very slowly and intervention could worsen the animal's condition. This work aims to identify clinical and histological differences that may exist between equine melanomas with different excision intervals (time between tumor detection and surgical excision). A total of 42 tumors (13 benign and 29 malignant) from 34 horses were included in this study. There was a statistically significant association between excision interval and tumor size (p = 0.038), with tumors excised later being significantly larger than the ones excised sooner. The excision interval was also statistically associated with the number of tumors (p = 0.011), since the horses that carried a tumor for longer seemed to be prone to have multiple tumors. Furthermore, there was an association between excision interval and malignancy (p = 0.035), with tumor excised later being fives times more likely to be malignant. This study provides evidence of delayed excision's effect on the progression of equine melanomas. Additionally, it reinforces the importance of the early excision of these tumors.
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Publication Date: 2024-04-22 PubMed ID: 38672392PubMed Central: PMC11047369DOI: 10.3390/ani14081244Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates whether the timing of surgical removal affects the progression of melanoma tumors in horses. The study concludes that delaying the removal of these tumors is associated with increased tumor size, the presence of multiple tumors, and an increased likelihood of the tumors being malignant.

Background

  • Equine melanomas are a common type of cancer in gray horses. While these cancers are known to progress slowly, there is limited scientific knowledge about how cancer progression might vary depending on how long the tumor is left in place before surgical removal.
  • Some horse owners and veterinarians believe that early intervention may not be necessary or could even potentially worsen the horse’s condition. However, no data are officially established to authenticate these beliefs until now.

Aim of the Study

  • The study was conducted to identify any clinical and histological differences that might exist between horse melanomas that are removed at different times (measured as the ‘excision interval’, or the time between tumor detection and surgical removal).

Study Design and Population

  • The research included a total of 42 tumors (13 benign and 29 malignant) from 34 horses.

Key Findings

  • The study found a statistically significant link between the length of the excision interval and the size of the tumor, with tumors that were removed later being significantly larger than those removed earlier.
  • The amount of time a horse had a tumor was also found to correlate statistically with the number of tumors, with horses that had a tumor for a longer period being more likely to have multiple tumors.
  • Finally, the excision interval was found to be statistically associated with malignancy, with tumors removed later being five times more likely to be malignant. Hence proving that the longer a tumor remains, the higher the chance it has of becoming cancerous.

Conclusion of the Study

  • This research provides evidence suggesting that delaying excision can impact the progression of equine melanomas. It also supports the idea that early removal of these tumors is essential to control its growth and malignity.

Cite This Article

APA
Pimenta J, Prada J, Pires I, Cotovio M. (2024). The Impact of Excision Interval on Equine Melanoma Progression: Time Matters? Animals (Basel), 14(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14081244

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 14
Issue: 8

Researcher Affiliations

Pimenta, José
  • CECAV-Veterinary and Animal Research Center, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
  • Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
  • CIVG-Vasco da Gama Research Center, EUVG-Vasco da Gama University School, 3020-210 Coimbra, Portugal.
Prada, Justina
  • CECAV-Veterinary and Animal Research Center, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
  • Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
  • Veterinary Sciences Department, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
Pires, Isabel
  • CECAV-Veterinary and Animal Research Center, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
  • Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
  • Veterinary Sciences Department, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
Cotovio, Mário
  • CECAV-Veterinary and Animal Research Center, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
  • Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
  • Veterinary Sciences Department, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal.

Grant Funding

  • UIDB/00772/2020 / Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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