Hamster patch panic

My daughter's two-year-old male Syrian hamster has developed a black patch on his side, and a smaller one on the other side.

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Do hamsters suffer from skin tumours, for example malignant melanoma? I'm concerned that this is the case here.The black patches are unlikely to be tumours. It is quite common to be asked about these patches and many owners, like you, worry that they could be cancerous. They are often mistaken for melanomas.