fibrosarcoma

the vet called with raven's biopsy results yesterday afternoon. she said it is a fibrosarcoma. and because of it's location, size, and type of tumor it is inoperable. and chemo is not an option. she said we just have to keep him comfortable. if he starts to be in pain, we just need to call and she will get him a prescription for pain killers. but when he is no longer comfortable...well, there is only one option.

our hearts are breaking...he just turned 10 yrs old, so not an old cat by any stretch. i'm still trying to take this all in...pretty shell shocked...

he's doing good right now. eating well, playing, etc. i'm hoping we have longer with him, rather than just a short time.

if anyone has any good sites for information on fibrosarcoma/cancer in cats please let me know.

I'm so sorry. I know what that call feels like, it's beyond devastating. My beloved Spike was 16 at the time of his diagnosis. He lived for about 18 months past that, and he had two tumor reduction surgeries. The first was an attempt to eliminate the tumor completely since it was still small (it was on his left flank), but that sort of tumor grows like a spider, and the vet was apparently not able to get it all. Spike lived for about 18 months after his diagnosis.

The references I see online are all technical and basically say the same thing: The survival time is a median of about two years after the diagnosis. Surgery may prolong this survival. It's a very fast-growing and aggressive type of cancer and treatment is largely unrewarding.

Where is your cat's tumor?

Again, I'm very sorry.

Originally Posted by Mermaid

Where is your cat's tumor?

Click to expand...

thank you for the kind words and information. his tumor is on his back, just off center of his spine. so in order to remove it the vet said they would have to take alot of bone and muscle. she said normally if this type of tumor occurs on a leg, the leg gets amputated. with it being right on his spine and involving the muscles, removal is not an option.

i got a tip from someone else who's cat had cancer (and more tumors than raven) about shark's cartilage. she said it helps inhibit the tumor growth, so it slows down. we're going to try it.

no experience but I know several folks who have lost cats and dogs to this awful tumor

Hi, sorry to hear about your kitty. You are both in my prayers. I also wanted to share with you my kitty's battle with cancer. I'll be brief and hopefully it will give you some hope. Pickles my furry friend was diagnosed with squamous cell carcioma in 04, he had surgery, they had to do a total ear ablation (removed all his inner ear). He is now deaf, although you wouldn't know it, he hears everything. At any rate they told us his prognosis was very poor to guarded. They told us he would probably last a few months, and there was really nothing they could do as this was a fast moving cancer. Well it's 2007 and he is still here (Thank God), and is active and appears happy and content. Some people have told me it's because we love him so much and he knows it. I am not sure why he is here, but I am glad he is. So keep the faith, you never know what can happen. Pickles is our miracle. Sending you good vibes. Take care.