MITOMYCIN C AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR EQUINE OCULAR SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA
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Squamous cell carcinomas are often very difficult to treat especially if they grow in areas like the eye. Often surgical excision or radiotherapy are not possible and an adjunctive therapy becomes very important. Is topical mitomycin C an alternative to laser ablation?
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The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of topical mitomycin C application as an alternative adjunctive therapy to CO2 laser ablation in the treatment of equine ocular squamous cell carcinoma.
A retrospective clinical study of eight client owned horses in which 10 affected eyes were treated for ocular squamous cell carcinoma over a 17 month period.
Each horse was given a general anaesthetic to allow CO2 laser ablation of the lesion(s). Mitomycin C at a concentration of 0.4 mg/mL was then applied intraoperatively to the affected areas for 1 or 5 minutes.
Postoperatively a triple antibiotic eye ointment was applied to the eye twice daily and each horse was treated with systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for 7 days.
Results: Recurrence following treatment was noted in three eyes. Two of these were retreated and no further signs developed.
The remaining eye was enucleated at the request of the owner. Overall 90% of treated eyes appeared free of tumour a minimum of 11 months post treatment.
Conclusion: In this case series mitomycin C appeared to offer a valid alternative to other adjunctive therapies currently employed in the treatment of equine ocular squamous cell carcinoma.
Source: SG RAYNER, N. VAN ZYL (2006): The use of mitomycin C as an adjunctive treatment for equine ocular squamous cell carcinoma. In: Australian Veterinary Journal 84 (1-2), 43Ā46.
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