my cat has myxo sarcoma, feedback please

queenlives

queenlives

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dear prime vets,

the biopsy from our 11 y.o. maine coon (she's the one in the lower part of the photo at http://twobigcats.com/index2.html) has returned that she has myxo sarcoma in her right front knee (or shoulder, i can't remember) joint.

we have an appt with a vet oncologist next fri for a consultation, so i'm wondering what 3 things i should ask / find out when we're with the vet wrt prognosis / course of treatment for her.

thx in advance for any / all feedback, much appreciated.

hal
 
Wow, sorry to hear about your cat. It's crazy how much a part of the family pets can become. As I type this, my dog is laying on the floor with 23 staples in his leg from a tumor removal last week and I'm still waiting on biopsy results. A pet having cancer just sucks.
 
Sorry to hear Hal. Best, Doug.
 
thx, guys.

in the past 2 months, our other maine has had 2 stomach surgeries and one of our dogs has been seriously ill. (both appear to be recovering fine now :)

i suppose the downside of having such a large "pack" is that we'll have to deal with more of these types of issues as the years go by; the upside to such a large pack? the fun and companionship of so many critters :)
 
Hal,

Which leg it is would make a difference on how aggressive to be. Sarcomas like to move to other parts of the body so a back leg is better than a front. I am afraid to say that amputation is of primary consideration here, depending on the exact location, size, etc.

Sometimes local excision and radiation is very effective, but very expensive. Cats do wonderfully well with only three legs, (I have several patients that way now and you cannot tell except when jumping, etc) so do not rule it out if that is your best option. Make sure that the chest is radiographed for metastasis and possibly even an abdominal ultrasound to rule out problems there. Take the options the oncologist gives you to heart, and realize you probably still have a normal lifespan of 3-5 years left. HTH.
 
ncdogdoc said:
Hal,

Which leg it is would make a difference on how aggressive to be. Sarcomas like to move to other parts of the body so a back leg is better than a front. I am afraid to say that amputation is of primary consideration here, depending on the exact location, size, etc.

Sometimes local excision and radiation is very effective, but very expensive. Cats do wonderfully well with only three legs, (I have several patients that way now and you cannot tell except when jumping, etc) so do not rule it out if that is your best option. Make sure that the chest is radiographed for metastasis and possibly even an abdominal ultrasound to rule out problems there. Take the options the oncologist gives you to heart, and realize you probably still have a normal lifespan of 3-5 years left. HTH.
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gary,
thx very much for the detailed feedback. it's her front right leg and if amputation is an option for helping her live 3-5 years, we're on it and we'll just call her tripod like we do our friend's 3-legged dog.

i'll report back when we visit with the oncologist next friday.

thx again, gary.

hal
 
How's your maine coon doing? I have one too and can't think of an other kind of cat I would want. We are hoping for the best for yours to have a successful recovery.
 
silverNEEK said:
How's your maine coon doing? I have one too and can't think of an other kind of cat I would want. We are hoping for the best for yours to have a successful recovery.
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thx very much for your note :)

it's been a week since her biopsy and she's limping, but seems to be doing ok. we see the oncologist tomorrow afternoon and with gary's suggestions in hand, we're better prepared to move forward.

thx for your good wishes, we'll pass them on to delilah :) (!)

hal
 
Hal if feline sarcoma is anything like human sarcoma then the tumor likes to spread via the bloodstream,so I would definately xray the lungs,they are the biggest filter of circulation.:wink:
 
docjohn said:
Hal if feline sarcoma is anything like human sarcoma then the tumor likes to spread via the bloodstream,so I would definately xray the lungs,they are the biggest filter of circulation.:wink:
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great suggestion. i think our approach is to have her xrayed as completely as possible / financially / emotionally reasonable.
 
queenlives said:
great suggestion. i think our approach is to have her xrayed as completely as possible / financially / emotionally reasonable.
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Good luck with her. My maltese has undergone several different medical treatments including pacemaker implantation, ACL reconstruction, separated shoulder manipulation and now twice daily insulin injections but still acts like a puppy despite all of that (she is 13).

One of the best things I ever did was ask advice from Gary (NCDogDoc) and obtained pet insurance the year before her pacemaker surgery (at the age of 9). I pay $48 per month for the insurance but her medical bills over the years since first obtained exceed $15,000 and yet I have paid less than $1000 out of pocket for all treatments and medicines during that time. That premium also covers cancer treatment.
 
I'm sorry to hear of your cat's cancer. Ten years ago our dog was diagnosed with a fibro-sarcoma on his back leg. It was so strange because one day we noticed a large lump that appeared over night. The vet actually though the other dog bit him, or even worse that one of use abused him. The biopsy came back with the sarcoma and we took him to a vet oncologist. They gave us all of the options along with the success rates. We had the back leg amputated and he did great for six months. At the follow-up appointment the cancer had already spread through out his body and we had no choice but to euthanize him.

We all love our cats and dogs like they are part of the family, but all too often we never remember that they are only here temporarily for our enjoyment. Which ever decision you make is the right one.

Good luck.
 
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DocL said:
I'm sorry to hear of your cat's cancer. Ten years ago our dog was diagnosed with a fibro-sarcoma on his back leg. It was so strange because one day we noticed a large lump that appeared over night. The vet actually though the other dog bit him, or even worse that one of use abused him. The biopsy came back with the sarcoma and we took him to a vet oncologist. They gave us all of the options along with the success rates. We had the back leg amputated and he did great for six months. At the follow-up appointment the cancer had already spread through out his body and we had no choice but to euthanize him.

We all love our cats and dogs like they are part of the family, but all too often we never remember that they are only here temporarily for our enjoyment. Which ever decision you make is the right one.

Good luck.
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thx to both you (bob, above) for your comments.

bob, i'm sure in this case we're too late to buy her insurance that would cover her cancer (or her sister's illnesses), but when we have new creatures come join us, i'm sure we'll get insurance for them.

docl, i fear that delilah may fall in to the situation you describe, but will go to the vet with an open mind and hope for the best.

thx again, guys.
 
good news(!)

delilah's chest xrays (digital system, very cool. quality / resolution appears much better but more expensive than traditional film, i think) don't show any other cancers in her chest or rest of her body. her oncologist suggests amputation as the most effective and best chance of "cure" (my word, not hers) vs surgery / radiation. we've decided to follow her advice and will schedule it next week.

follow-up questions for gary, any other vets reading this:

her clinic has board-certified surgeons and i suspect our family vet is not board certified; in this situation, what practical role does board certification play in the decision process. we're leaning to the oncologist / surgical group take care of her because they have 24 hr staff for pain meds / follow-up and our family vet does not offer this.

i greatly appreciate the feedback thus far, folks - thanks so much.
hal
 
If you can swing the bucks & the drive isn't ridiculously far, I would go with boarded surgeon, although from the knee/elbow down is pretty straight forward. At the hip or entire scapula, I would feel better with someone boarded. Don't know if you are talking back leg or front leg.

Just read your post again, if it's front they will probably take entire limb away from chest wall. With good supportive care & anesthesia/fluid mgmt I think an experienced, careful person could do this, but boarded would make me feel safer.
 
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TyraNSX said:
If you can swing the bucks & the drive isn't ridiculously far, I would go with boarded surgeon, although from the knee/elbow down is pretty straight forward. At the hip or entire scapula, I would feel better with someone boarded. Don't know if you are talking back leg or front leg.

Just read your post again, if it's front they will probably take entire limb away from chest wall. With good supportive care & anesthesia/fluid mgmt I think an experienced, careful person could do this, but boarded would make me feel safer.
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great feedback, thx very much, tony.
 
Although I'm not a vet, I would also suggest the specialist and I also went through with a dog having it's leg amputated at the hip. The amputation part is not difficult, it's how well they approximate the muscles and close the wound. Just be ready for your cat to look like a rump roast for a few weeks until the hair grow back.

Good luck for you and the kitty. :smile:
 
Glad to hear the good news Hal. Best to you and the cat.
 
RSO 34 said:
One of the best things I ever did was ask advice from Gary (NCDogDoc) and obtained pet insurance the year before her pacemaker surgery (at the age of 9). I pay $48 per month for the insurance but her medical bills over the years since first obtained exceed $15,000 and yet I have paid less than $1000 out of pocket for all treatments and medicines during that time. That premium also covers cancer treatment.
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I have had pet insurance (with VPI) for eight years, and my experience has been quite positive, albeit not exactly similar to Bob's description (I am not doubting its veracity). Up till this year, I was roughly "breaking even", with payments for premiums roughly equal to reimbursements on claims. This year my older dog had a large growth removed, which turned out to be malignant, and this was the first really large expense and really large reimbursement I've had. So now I'm way ahead on reimbursements.

However, my out of pocket expenses on many of those claims has been significant (about 50 percent, in the case of the cancer surgery). Claims reimbursements are capped by a benefit reimbursement schedule, which you can find on the website of the insurance carrier, so if you are charged more than the cap, you can end up paying quite a bit out of pocket, beyond what they reimburse you. However, if you're going to go ahead and pay for the treatments anyway, then the insurance is probably worth it; again, as long as the reimbursements exceed the premiums, it's worth doing.

It's also worth noting that coverage of cancer treatment is usually optional, so you have to purchase it at a higher cost than a policy without cancer treatment. Another policy option at extra cost is a higher level of coverage for preventive treatment.
 
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thx to everyone for their feedback, i appreciate it very much. i have a surgical procedure tomorrow and then we'll have Dee taken care of; follow-up report after that.

best,
hal
 
UPDATE Re: my cat has myxo sarcoma, feedback please

update:

delilah's amputation surgery was two days ago and came home yesterday.

after reading everyone's input, then speaking with our vet (he's taken care of all of our animals for 23+ years), were comfortable with having him perform the procedure. (in our decision process discussion with him, he indicated that he had done hundreds of these with good success over the years.)

when i picked dee up yesterday, it was heartbreaking to see her shaved, missing her limb and appearing not unlike franken-cat. (the rump roast analogy was not far off.) and while she struggled with the missing limb terribly at first, later in the night she began to adapt - wider rear-leg stance / leaning on remaining front leg - and now has basic mobility.

she's eating, on antibiotics and pain meds and is resting now.

in a word of encouragement to me when i picked her up, our vet said, "you know, pets don't know "you poor thing" or "i'm in such bad shape, woe is me", they only know "i gotta eat / get over there / sleep", etc. of course, he's right.

thx to each of you for your feedback, all of your comments played a role in our decision.

hal
 
i am terribly saddened to say that delilah was diagnosed with pancreatitis last monday and by this past sunday her condition had deteriorated so significantly that we were compelled to end her suffering.

we are profoundly saddened at losing dee.
 
queenlives said:
i am terribly saddened to say that delilah was diagnosed with pancreatitis last monday and by this past sunday her condition had deteriorated so significantly that we were compelled to end her suffering.

we are profoundly saddened at losing dee.
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I am so sorry Hal.
 
It is amazing how potent the grief that comes from losing a furry family member can be. Condolences.
 
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