Iris Melanoma in cats
Iris melanoma is one of the most common eye tumors in cats. It usually appears as a dark brown spot in the iris (iris-tissue inside the eye, which defines eye color).
In most cats, iris tissue is yellow or blue. Any change in iris color should be examined for possible iris melanoma. In the early stage of the disease, in which only a few pigmented spots are present, laser treatment of melanoma can be performed, which will successfully lead to the destruction of pigmented premalignant lesions. In cases in which the pigmented tissue invades the intraocular structures and when there is the presence of pigment cells in the anterior segment of the eye (anterior chamber of the eye), surgical removal of the eye is recommended in order to prevent the dissemination (metastasis) of tumor cells to other organs.
