title: Allografting of a nontransmissible, spontaneous dermal melanoma in the newt Triturus cristatus.
abstract: Regeneration-competent urodele Amphibia are highly resistant to spontaneous development of neoplasms, in comparison with other vertebrates which do not exhibit great regenerative power. This observation implies that at least one growth parameter of urodele cells might be subject to different developmental mechanisms than the cells of animals incapable of epimorphic regeneration. Therefore, keeping records concerning the incidence of tumors in urodeles and investigating those exceptional cases might prove invaluable in understanding the basic biological principles governing organ regeneration and carcinogenesis, and might therefore help in cancer therapy. The present report depicts a case of two spontaneous, dermal, melanoma-like tumors found in an adult newt Triturus cristatus. Both tumors were located in the pelvic region. Histological examinations and tumor transplantations were conducted. It was found that the tumors were melanomata. When allografted within the body cavity, their mass was progressively eliminated.
authors.affiliation: Zoological Laboratory, University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koussoulakos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lelouda
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Anton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy; D005552:Forelimb; D008297:Male; D008543:Melanins / Q000032:analysis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D012038:Regeneration; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014319:Triturus
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins