Balloon cell melanoma in three dogs: a histopathological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study

Balloon cell melanoma, a variant of malignant melanoma, has been reported on rare occasions in animals and is uncommon in man. Such tumours have variable numbers of large, round to polygonal cells with abundant, clear, often vacuolated cytoplasm containing fine melanin granules and variable amounts of lipid. This report describes balloon cell melanomas in three dogs. Immunohistochemically, these tumours showed reactions similar to those of human melanomas when tested with antibodies against S-100 protein, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and vimentin. Electron microscopically, numerous heterogeneous melanosomes were demonstrated in the balloon cell cytoplasm of one tumour. Although balloon cell melanoma apparently occurs infrequently in dogs, it should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of neoplasms containing clear cells.