Eye cancer insights could aid diagnosis and therapies

Research into a common eye cancer in cats gives fresh understanding of how the disease develops, and could help efforts to study, diagnose and treat the condition. 

A study of feline diffuse iris melanoma (FDIM) – a potentially devastating disease which causes destruction of the eye and often spreads with fatal outcomes – identifies genes which could inform diagnosis and prognosis, and support development of new therapies. 

Outcomes from the study also point to similarities between FDIM and uveal melanoma, a frequently fatal eye cancer in humans, and the development of laboratory models to aid research for feline and human ocular cancers. 

Experts from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies examined tissue samples recovered from cats affected by feline diffuse iris melanoma. 

Their analysis identified genes linked to early and late disease, and enabled scientists to determine biological processes underlying disease development. 

These findings could support the development of diagnostic tools to help vets determine the severity and prognosis in cases of FDIM. They could also inform potential treatments at various stages of the condition. 

The development of new treatments could transform outcomes for cats affected by the disease. Currently, treatment typically involves removal of an affected eye at an early stage to try to prevent fatal spread of the disease. There are currently no effective treatment options for when the cancer has spread.  

The team showed for the first time that a feline eye condition known as iris melanosis, often considered to be benign, is a precursor to malignant FDIM. 

The study team hopes that their work will lead to development of cell-culture based models to study the disease. This includes the development of mini-tumours grown in the laboratory, for further study of the disease process as well as new drug development. Studying the disease in cats may provide new, invaluable understanding of eye cancers in humans. 

The study, published in Scientific Reports, was carried out in collaboration with colleagues in the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Genetics and Cancer, the Royal Veterinary College, Cytopath Veterinary Pathology and Dick White Referrals.