Prayers please- tumor or eosinophilic granuloma?

My cat has a tumor on her tongue.  She has eosinophilic granulomas on her lips/mouth which were being treated with steroid shots. 

The tumor is dime sized in the back of her mouth on top of the tongue. The vet looked at her today and thought it "might' be cancer. I have to take her to get a biopsy.

I've been googling... Both small cell carcinoma, and eosinophilic granulomas can cause a lump like that.  If it is a granuloma it is treated with steroids, if it is SSC  the prognosis is poor (less than 10% chance of surviving one year even with treatment).

The vet suggested I take her to the vet school and pay the emergency fee. I'm not sure I'm going to do that if the chance of survival is 10%.  Is it worth doing chemo, radiation or surgery for a cat with cancer?  I don't think I could put her through that.  I don't think I have the money for that and even if I did I don't want to make her suffer. If I had cancer I don't think I would want treatment...

Right now she does not appear to be suffering. She has not lost weight. Appetite is good.

I could cry. We just lost my dog this weekend to kidney failure. I can't deal with possibly losing my cat too.

These pictures are similar to what she looks like. She has a smaller lip ulcer than this but the tongue lump is larger.

http://www.fmv.utl.pt/atlas/digest/pages_us/digest022_ing.htm

Please pray for us! Please let it be a granuloma!

I'm hoping to take her in first thing on Monday. I have to call and see if my second choice vet can do a biopsy, as the vet school is extremely costly.  I don't want to go back to the vet school as they just put my dog down. I was hoping to never ever go back there.

I am so sorry you are dealing with this, I'm sending prayers your way. I'm sorry for the loss of your dog.

Sarah Ann,

I am so sorry about your cat and your dog also.  I will certainly keep you all in my thoughts and prayers and I really hope this can be treated with steroids. In the event that it is cancer, then you need to talk over options with your vet. It really depends on the type of cancer. It is definitely worth treating if the prognosis is good. It also depends on the individual cat. I had two cats that had cancer. One had squamous cell and the other got thyroid cancer. I didn't have either of them treated with radiation or chemo because I feared the effects and discomfort of those treatments, along with the stress, might be worse than the disease itself. Alby, who had the squamous cell was put to sleep at about 14 years and Fidget was 16, so they had good long lives. I had their son too, Teepee who was put to sleep because he had CRF and he just got too sick to keep going. That being said, he was 19. Age is a factor too.

Good luck on Monday and keep us all posted.

I am so sorry for this sad news. For the loss of your dog and now this tumor. Prayers and hugs for you.   Please keep us updated when you get the chance. 

I am so sorry for your loss and so sorry you are dealing with this.  I had a schnauzer years ago that had a Squamous Cell carcinoma in her mouth, it spread to her heart and we made the decision to put her to sleep, it is so hard to deal with cancer.  My thoughts will be with you.

I took her to the vet today. The vet isn't sure which it is. Said she didn't want to do a biopsy, as it is too easy for the tongue to get infected and the cat will stop eating if that happens (and if it is cancer, it can spread).

If it is cancer, the site is non operable and there is nothing we can do as the tongue can't be removed. It could be squamous cell carcinoma, it could be melanoma, or it could be a granuloma (which is not cancer).

However, the vet is hopeful that this is just a bad eosinophilic granuloma that has gotten infected.  She gets steroid shots every 2 weeks along with an oral antibiotic to take care of the infection.  If it shrinks than it is probably a granuloma and not life threatening.

Poor kitty! Just hold on to the knowledge that there is hope and she is apparantly not uncomfortable. Since she already has eosinophilic granulomas on her lips/mouth seems likely this may be more of the same , certainly hope so, anyway.

Hi Sarah Ann,

I am really sorry to read of the situation with this tumor, and for the loss of your beloved dog.  My condolences.

I think the decision not to do the biopsy is a wise one for the reasons your vet mentioned, but also, in cutting into the tumor, this can have the result of speeding up the spread of the cancer (if cancer) as cancer cells can become stimulated when the tumor is cut into, however slightly. I went through the biopsy process when a tumor was found under the tongue of my tuxedo of 14 years. In hindsight I wished I hadn't as our cat went downhill quickly. Gustav had developed sqamous cell which is a particularly deadly cancer, and surgery was out of the question due to the location. What were significant symptoms with Gustav was the weight loss, loss of appetite, drooling and he was hiding a lot. If these symptoms are not factors with your cat, there is every reason to be hopeful that this tumor is not cancer.

I think whichever way this goes, it will be important to do things that can help to support your cat's immune system to make whatever symptoms he experiences, less serious and to strengthen his resolve. L-Lysine is a good immune boosting supplement.

Stay hopeful and let us know how things are going.

I hope it is just an infected eosinophilic granuloma.  I went through a possible lymphoma thing with one of my cats and I decided if that was what it was not to do chemo.  It's a personal decision, some people have gotten chemo for their cat with good results.  I think lymphoma is a lot different from this, if it is cancer that is.

Lots of vibes that its just an EG!