Research Note: Feline Diffuse Iris Melanoma: A Diagnostic Dilemma

ArticleLast Updated November 20191 min read

Feline diffuse iris melanoma (FDIM) accounts for ≈50% of feline intraocular neoplasms and has a metastatic rate of 19% to 63%. Differential diagnoses include iris nevi, melanosis, and iridociliary cysts. FDIM, however, can only be diagnosed via histopathology, and because eyes in FDIM patients often remain visual, ophthalmologists may have to choose between enucleating an eye that may be healthy or monitoring a lesion that may metastasize. Circulating free nucleic acid (ie, cell-free DNA) has been shown to have potential diagnostic and prognostic value in some neoplastic diseases in dogs and humans. However, this study found no significant differences in cell-free DNA concentration and integrity among the FDIM, iris nevi, and control groups.