VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

CANCER IN CATS

• Cancer in cats is less common than cancer in dogs. It’s probably half the rate that we see in dogs. But when we see cancer in cats, it tends to be a more aggressive form.
• One of the most common cancers we see in cats is lymphoma, which is associated with the feline leukemia virus (FeLV). Even though there’s a vaccine for feline leukemia now, we still see a number of cats that have been exposed to it, and exposure greatly increases a cat’s chance of developing feline lymphoma.
• We also see oral squamous carcinoma, similar to what people get. We see a tumor called fibrosarcoma, or soft tissue sarcoma, which is a tumor developing in muscle or in the connective tissue of the body. That’s the one associated with injections and vaccinations, which some people call injection-site sarcoma.
• We see other kinds of tumors as well, but they are much less common -- lung tumors, brain tumors, nasal tumors, liver tumors. We don’t see as many mammary tumors these days because so many people have their cats spayed now. So all of those are just a smattering here and there.
• Treatment
• Surgery is the most common treatment for any kind of lump or bump that needs to be removed.
• Chemotherapy is used most commonly in the management of lymphomas. But it’s also used aggressive tumors that have spread to lymph nodes or other organs.
• Radiation therapy in situations where we can’t remove the tumors, for example brain tumors and nasal tumors.