title: Non-surgical treatment of canine oral malignant melanoma: A case study of the application of complementary alternative medicine.
abstract: This report describes a dog with a clinical stage III oral malignant melanoma that was treated with complementary alternative medicine (CAM). The CAM included high temperature hyperthermia, dendritic cell therapy and lupeol injections. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy were not performed. Two months after the start of treatment, the tumor disappeared and after six months, the follow-up examinations revealed no recurrence or metastasis of the tumor. Quality of life (QOL) of the dog was maintained; therefore, the application of CAM may be an effective treatment for canine oral malignant melanoma. The effective application of CAM has the potential to prolong life and maintain an excellent QOL for pets.
authors.affiliation: Kamo Animal Clinic, Saijyocho, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-0044, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.affiliation: Sakamoto Bio Co. Ltd., Yuuwa-Memeki, Akita 010-1233, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mukaiyama
authors.affiliation: Sakamoto Bio Co. Ltd., Yuuwa-Memeki, Akita 010-1233, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food and Brewing, Akita Prefectural Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Research Center, Arayamachi, Akita 010-1623, Japan.
authors.forename: Keishi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hata
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Azuma
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuka
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osaki
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imagawa
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamoto
keywords: canine oral malignant melanoma; complementary alternative medicine; hyperthermia; lupeol; quality of life