Results (Sithreal Update)

[helen99]

Sithreal's results are back. It was an aggressive feline mammary carcinoma. The surgery the vet performed was for skin cancer, not this type of carcinoma, which is rare in male cats.

I should have taken him to the vet when I first noticed that the nipple was abnormally swollen, and not waited until it became a lesion. If I'd been quicker, he would have a better chance, since more cells would have been contained. It would not have changed the treatment (since some cells still might have gotten into the system), but it would have increased the odds. That said, the vet said this is the earliest detection he's ever seen and that there is still a chance he can beat it.

It's a very aggressive type of cancer, so cells from it could have metastasized to his lymph nodes, lungs, abdomen, or more. I will be taking him in to get his stitches out Friday. He will have some x-rays at that time to determine if it has spread to the lungs or abdomen. If all seems to be well otherwise, I will make an appointment for him to remove the entire chain of nipples on that side, as well as the lymph nodes (the recommended treatment). If the x-rays show any spreading, then chemo was advised.

However, one sentence in the above article is now staring at me:

"The size of the mammary tumor determines prognosis and survival times. Cats with a tumor less than three cm in size may live up to 21 months after diagnosis, and those with bigger tumors have an average survival time of a year."

It was much, much smaller than three cm - I don't think it was even 1 cm. But even if it was smaller, only 21 months? And what kind of 21 months would those be? I think the above sentence refers to cases where the cancer has become systemic. If by some miracle I caught this before it became systemic, maybe that doesn't apply. I will talk to the vet once the x-rays are back. I will weigh Sithreal's quality of life, the extent of the cancer, and prognosis against surgeries, chemo, and suffering, and I will make a decision which way to go.

If there's no sign of it anywhere else and the second surgery heals well, and his quality of life is good, we will take it from there with frequent exams. If it has gone systemic and the prognosis is "21 months with chemotherapy", then I will have to do more research and figure out what I should do. If it gets too bad and he stops enjoying life...

But that isn't a decision I have to make yet. I'm still hoping the x-rays come back negative and we caught it in time.

So that's the news.

Comments

[lyssabard.livejournal.com]

I am sorry love, but I do think you are making the right choices here.*HUGS*
Wait and see, love on the kitty, and be hopeful, knowing you are doing your best caring for him and giving a good and loving life.

*extra hugs*

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks (*hugs*).

[historychick49.livejournal.com]

Oh, Helen, I'm so sorry. I hope that it was indeed caught in time and that he lives healthfully for a long time yet.

*hugs*

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I hope so too. Hard to say with this kind of thing. I'm hoping the surface instance was the first and only one, and that it was small enough to stop it.

[rebelfilms.livejournal.com]

poor cat :(. Still I hope you did catch it in good time.

*sends best wishes to the cat, and to you*

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the good wishes. I feel like holding my breath until I know if it spread. Shame about that air-breathing requirement.

[dancinglights.livejournal.com]

well crap. good luck to the big guy; if this is the earliest detection the vet had ever seen, I think you guys have a really good chance of having caught all of it. but luck and wishes certainly can't hurt....

[ivy]

Yes, this. [hugs] Go you for getting it quickly. Here's hoping.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Should have been quicker (see response to dancinglights above). Fail. Hope it doesn't cost him his life.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I found an article that said if the neoplasm is under 2cm, then the prognosis is much better. It was under 1cm. My main concern is that I allowed it to progress to the point where the skin broke. I had a bad feeling about it the first time I noticed it (and it may have been there longer). That was when he needed to go to the vet.

For future reference, it wasn't a lump under the skin. That I would have had checked immediately. In this case, the nipple itself had swollen up like a tiny balloon. It looked like it should have been painful, but was not sensitive to the touch. It looked like some kind of an insect bite or an abscess, not like a tumor. So if any of us see anything like that on any cat, we should take them in immediately.

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

I've seen what aggressive cancers can do. I really hope you have caught it in time, and that Sithreal can be healed up of this. Also, you had no way of knowing this would be the result. The swelling could have been from anything and then gone away. I think you reacted better than most would have, and therefore there is a chance. And I know you'll make the right decision.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Even if it was swollen from something else, I should have taken him to the vet after it didn't go away for one week. I waited too long. How would I like it if someone didn't take me to the doctor if I had an abscess (even if it was benign). A vet could have alleviated the discomfort. Once that was done, the vet could have had it analyzed and we would have known much earlier.

That said, this may be only one instance. If he has other instances internally, we're hosed.

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

That's 20-20 hindsight talking, though. It's always "obvious" from that perspective what you should have done. You acted when you did, which was when you noticed there was a serious problem and that might very well save Sithreal's life.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I hope so.

[kiarrith.livejournal.com]

hug hug hug
gods, im sorry this is happening, but good job on early catching!

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks (hugs).

[czarina-laura.livejournal.com]

All the best to you and your family...*hugs*

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Yours too! Hope you're all doing well.

[fishy1.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks (*hugs*).

[rhiannasilel.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Here's hoping that it hasn't gone systemic and he faces a long kitty life ahead of him.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks *hugs*. I'm hoping that it wasn't growing elsewhere and only just now manifested on the surface. I'm scared that it might be too late and I might lose my friend.

Many Hugs

[daughterofodhin.livejournal.com]

I guess its a form of cat breast cancer.

Re: Many Hugs

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Yes. I had a feeling it might be, but then I would say, "but he's a male cat - that's not supposed to happen". Wrong. It does happen, just very rarely. Even when the skin broke, I thought it was skin cancer, not breast cancer. Wrong again.

Re: Many Hugs

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

Even male humans are capable of getting breast cancer, though it's also rare.

[arahitogami.livejournal.com]

*big fellow catparent hugs*

Let me know if there's anything I can do, even if it's just the ol' burning incense and praying.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks (hug). That might be what's needed.

[christinemis.livejournal.com]

*hugs*
I'm wishing you both the best of luck.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks (*hugs*) This is going to be a much bigger incision. I hope we and the hospital are able to keep him relatively comfortable through this and he comes out of it with many good years left.

I went through something like this in 1999 with another cat. Ookie became life-threateningly anemic even though he was leukemia-free. The vets treated the symptoms because none of the doctors who examined him could tell me what the root cause was. He responded to treatment (liver hormones, blood transfusions, and prednisone) and returned to a normal blood count. Then he had system failure and died suddenly. I still don't know why.

This time, we know what it is. This is not an unseen enemy. *Goes into full attack mode*.

[christinemis.livejournal.com]

Hmm...maybe I'm paranoid because of Chan's anaplasmosis, but I wonder if your other cat might have had some kind of undiagnosed tick issue. :(

You might want to look into diet alternatives for Sithreal. I know one of somebody on my ES lists that went to (I think) a raw or low carb diet to try to slow down her dog's cancer.

I did find this link:
http://www.zzcat.com/

Don't know how reliable it is; maybe I'll do some checking of the IBD archives later. Oh...if I were you I would check if there are any yahoo groups dedicated to feline cancer... or even specifically this type. I've found that "the group mind" can be a very helpful thing...along with their library of vetted links and help files.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

from http://www.aldf.com/Anaplasmosis.shtml#Anaplasmosis

> Routine laboratory results include a low white blood cell
> count, low platelet count, and elevated levels of specific
> liver enzymes.

That does sound like Ookie's symptoms, but his blood platelet count wasn't just low. It was dropping quickly to zero. We had to give him immediate blood transfusions while trying to figure out what it was, or he would have died on the spot.

Right now Sithreal seems to be liking his Wellness grain-free canned food better each day. I think it's good for his skin, too - his coat seems shinier after only a few days. He's started to favor it over the dry food and ask for it when I come home instead of eating the pellets. Tonight I think I'll remove the pellets altogether. I may also offer him some raw chicken to see if he recognizes it as food. We'll see what happens...

[christinemis.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear Sithreal seems to be liking the food. Wellness is good stuff. :)

Regarding tick diseases- at least in dogs, the darn things apparently can go subclinical, and then suddenly pop up with a deadly vengeance.

http://blackgsd.googlepages.com/ehrlichiosis

That's why I was aggressive about getting a second opinion about Chan's anaplasmosis.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find much information on cats and tick borne illness.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I just took him back to the vet this morning for a chest x-ray and an abdominal ultrasound. We'll get the results later today.

While we were there, I mentioned Ookie's case, and asked if it could have been anaplasmosis. They said they had never encountered anaplasmosis in cats. Maybe that's because they never looked for it, though.

There are many root causes of thrombocytopenia (Ookie's "diagnosis"). It's not really a diagnosis as much as a set of symptoms. At the time, I suspected an undetected liver tumor.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

I'm very sorry, I know how difficult such things can be. Blessings to you all.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I have become inordinately attached this huge, grey and white tuxedo cat with attitude.

[fearadyn.livejournal.com]

Many huggs all around~

The fight is a long way from being over. But no matter what happens you must not blame yourself, I know that is difficult. However there is no way you could have known it was something more then just swelling.

With no palpable lump the vet may well have made this same decision to wait and see even if you had taken him in.

In any case you are all in my prayers for a complete recovery.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

What should have tipped me off is that it didn't go away after a week. That's really all you're supposed to wait for something like that. An abscess will usually resolve by that time unless there's something penetrating the skin (in which case the cat needs help anyway). You're right that self-blame won't solve anything. However, maybe someone else will see this and act more quickly if something like that happens to their cat.

[ebonhost.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, Helen. My best wishes for you and for Sithreal.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Hoping for the best.

[vashti.livejournal.com]

Ah, god. I'm so sorry.

I hope it all works out for the best.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thanks. He goes in for x-rays and an abdominal ultrasound on Friday. We'll know the extent of it when the results come back from that. Hoping for the best, fearing the worst.

[dreamfall.livejournal.com]

*hugs* My thoughts are with you and Sithreal.

He's got good kittyparents and cats generally do pretty well with cancer treatment. I will keep you in my thoughts.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Thank you (*hugs*). I appreciate your thoughts. Bracing for the next round of the treatment, and hoping for the best.