Topical chemotherapy used for feline corneal carcinoma
A nine year old cat was presented with a right globe lesion of six months' duration. A large pink elevated mass covering two-thirds of the right cornea was detected. The corneal mass was surgically removed by superficial keratectomy and diagnosed by histopathology as a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
Related: Get our Guide to Corneal Disease
The surgical procedure led to a relatively transparent cornea, but recurrence was likely. To avoid relapse, one month after surgery three cycles of mitomycin C 0.04% eye drops were applied every eight hours for fifteen days on then fifteen days without drops.
No local or systemic side effects were seen, and no recurrence was detected after a one year of follow-up. Topical mitomycin C was successfully used as a local chemotherapy agent and prevented relapses.
Squamous cell carcinomas are relatively common in feline patients, especially in the non-pigmented extremities of the nose, ears and eyelids, but with the cornea being a rare location. They rarely metastasize and seldom relapse locally after surgical excision, with margins of 2 cm advisable to prevent relapses.
Corneal tumors are rare, as the cornea is avascular; corneal transparency is essential to assure clear vision. In corneal squamous cell carcinoma, this margin is impossible to achieve without enucleation. Surgical removal of the neoplasm, combined with topical administration of the anticancer drug mitomycin C obtained a good prognosis in this report.
Read more of this article below:
