Retrospective evaluation of canine primary, multicentric, and metastatic intraocular neoplasia

To provide an updated characterization of the prevalence of primary, multicentric, and metastatic intraocular tumors in the canine patient.

Medical records databases from 4 veterinary referral hospitals were reviewed from 1999 to present to identify dogs with a diagnosis of intraocular neoplasia histopathologically confirmed following enucleation or necropsy.

One hundred seventy-two dogs with 173 intraocular neoplasms met the inclusion criteria. Primary intraocular neoplasms were the most common tumors in the study (128); the two most common types were melanocytic neoplasia (90), followed by iridociliary neoplasia (33). There were 28 cases of intraocular involvement secondary to round cell neoplasia, with 18 cases of lymphoma, seven histiocytic sarcomas, and three undifferentiated round cell neoplasms. There were 17 cases of metastatic intraocular neoplasia, with hemangiosarcoma being the most common (9).

The majority of intraocular tumors in dogs arise from the ocular tissues. However, the eye may also be involved in patients with multicentric neoplasia, and, less commonly, as a site for metastatic disease. Ocular screening for patients with multicentric neoplasia should be considered during staging, and ocular signs should be viewed with suspicion in dogs with neoplasia in other sites.