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  Discussion on Melanoma on a Bay mare?
Author Message
Member:
sumnera

Posted on Friday, Jun 17, 2011 - 9:32 pm:

Hello,

I've been a member of this forum for a number of years and have found all the articles and discussions to be incredibly valuable, though I haven't done much posting myself. I am hoping that you can help me out with my 4 year old mare, Sugar.

Two weeks ago I noticed a lump on the inside of her stifle and thought it was a "bad" fly bite. It is about the size of a nickle. I watched it for a couple of weeks and it didn't change, so I took her in to see my local equine vet. He examined her and said that the lump was a "Benign Melanoma" and I should just watch it for any changes and leave it alone. He said that if I demanded that it be removed and biopsied, he would do it but that he wasn't worried about it and I shouldn't be either.

After returning from my vet's I did my homework on this site about Melanomas and was alarmed to read that they are likely to be serious in non-gray horses. I like and respect my vet very highly, but am worried that maybe he's being too conservative. Before driving 2 hours to get a second opinion on the matter, I thought I'd upload a photo here in the hopes that someone could say if this really did look like a melanoma or was perhaps something else, like a sarcoid.

Thank you all very much for your help!


Sugars Lump
Member:
mrose

Posted on Saturday, Jun 18, 2011 - 12:29 am:

Can you wiggle it or does it seemed to be attached to deeper tissue? Did it just suddenly appear, or slowly grow? Is it still growing? I'm one who usually errors on the side of caution; I'd get it biopsied. I'll be interestsed to see what Dr.O has to say.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jun 18, 2011 - 9:08 am:

Hello Aimee,
From its appearance alone I cannot judge if this nodule is a melanoma or even a neoplasia. A sarcoid will most often be more irregular appearing. The amount of pigment (melanin) does not appear excessive and may appear so dark because it is hairless. There are many intradermal inflammatory lesions that might look like this, for instance cutaneous amylodosis and I cannot rule out a fly bite. As the great majority of such bumps are benign I often take a wait and see attitude with such a bump. When I am suspicious I will either remove it or attempt a needle biopsy to get an idea of what is going on.
DrO
Member:
sumnera

Posted on Saturday, Jun 18, 2011 - 11:19 am:

Thanks so much for your replies Sara and Dr. O.

Sara: The bump is very flexible and my vet said it was only attached to the skin at this point. As I only noticed the bump a couple of weeks ago and it has not changed since then, I cannot say if it is actively growing at this point.

Dr O: You have definitely helped to relieve some of my anxiety and make me feel more comfortable about taking the "wait and see" approach. I will measure it and monitor it for any growth and if/when it increases in size, I'll have it biopsied and/or removed.

Thanks again!
Member:
sumnera

Posted on Monday, Jul 25, 2011 - 2:58 pm:

Hello,

Just wanted to give you an update as I was rather surprised by the outcome:

After a month of watching the lump it grew significantly. It was probably about twice the size of what it was in the above photo. I took my mare back to see the Vet and had it removed and biopsied. The results came back that it was a sarcoid. I was quite surprised as this lump didn't have the usual warty appearance that I have seen in photos of sarcoids.

Anyhow my Vet said there was a 50% chance that it will come back and that we will have to address it "chemically" if and when it returns.

Great--and I thought I would be able to sleep after having it removed! Instead I'll be obsessively watching for it to return.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jul 25, 2011 - 8:35 pm:

Excellent Aimee,
It is a warning to us all: appearances are often deceiving. What led you to believe removal was a good choice.

A sarcoid is actually a better outcome on a bay than a melanoma as it has a greater chance at being malignant on a nongrey horse. Recurrence following simple surgical removal is common for sarcoids, if it does follow it up with immunotherapy like Regressin, I have very good luck with it.
DrO
Member:
sumnera

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 22, 2012 - 1:35 pm:

Hello,

I just wanted to give an update on my mare. It has been over a year since the sarcoid was surgically removed and it has not returned in the same spot or anywhere else.

Dr. O, in your opinion, would it have returned by now if it was going to? Thank you for your thoughts.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Aug 26, 2012 - 5:44 pm:

Hello Aimee,
A year or even 10 years is not enough time to say it will not return but a year is very encouraging, suggesting that return is not likely.
DrO
Member:
spryte

Posted on Monday, Aug 27, 2012 - 5:14 am:

Hi Aimee, I have a dark bay mare who had a nodule.. also on her stifle that looked almost exactly like the one in your photo. History exactly the same.. it suddenly doubled in size. It too turned out to be a sarcoid! It was chemically removed over a few weeks in 2009. There is a small scar but so far it has not returned. Hope this helps alleviate your worries a bit. Rosie
Member:
sumnera

Posted on Monday, Aug 27, 2012 - 3:14 pm:

Thanks Rosie and Dr. O. I feel better after hearing your opinions and experiences.
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