Oscar Clarke is a 14-year-old MC Schnauzer cross that presented for a melanoma on the metacarpal pad of his right front limb. This is the large meaty pad above the toes.
He was taken to surgery on October 27th, after staging him (including blood work, chest radiographs, and abdominal ultrasound). His right prescapular lymph node was removed, and his paw pad mass was debulked using a CO2 laser. His final diagnosis was malignant melanoma, incomplete margins on removal (due to the site on the paw), and negative lymph nodes for metastasis. He was managed with a bandage for 2 weeks, and healed beautifully. He then underwent a melanoma vaccine on 11-3, 11-17, 12-3, and 12-17 with Dr. Cletzer. He also underwent ECT (electrochemotherapy) with Dr. Cletzer on 12-3 and 12-29. He was doing well with no signs of thoracic metastasis on Jan. 28th. The current plan is recheck radiographs in April and June, and the melanoma vaccine booster in June.
This is a great example of a collaborative case between specialists. Malignant melanoma is a highly metastatic cancer, so even with removal, we were concerned about regrowth at the site (foot pad) and spread to lymph nodes and lungs over time. His lymph node was removed during a mass removal for definitive testing for spread. He underwent a melanoma vaccine to improve survival for metastasis over time. He underwent electrochemotherapy (chemotherapy given IV that is not systemically absorbed, but activated locally with electric pulses at the site of concern) twice to reduce the chance of recurrence on his foot pad. All of this was performed to avoid an amputation and improve his quality of life. So far, he is doing well with no signs of spread or recurrence!
