possible lymphoma

marymary

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Hello all, i really needed some advice about my 13year old male cat, Billy. I took Billy to the vets a few weeks ago to get an ear cleaning product and mentioned to the vet that his stomach felt a little bloated. Vet had a feel if his stomach and could feel a lump. He was initially given lactulose as vet said it could be hard poop thats stuck there, he was given that for a few days and went back to vets. Lump was still there so blood test was carried out the results were fine protein levels etc was fine there was nothing to suggest cancer or any concern. Vet asked to see Billy after 3weeks so i went today.

Billy has generally been well and happy in himself. No vomiting or anything he has gained weight since he was last seen by the vet. However today vet said the lump had felt like it had gotton slightly bigger. A scan was done on Billys stomach area that revealed it was a large lymphnoid but there was no indication that it is cancerous the vet has asked to do surgery to examine a sample of it however it would cost £700 and i honestly cant afford that :( vet said because its POSSIBLE lymphoma they are going to treat Billy with prednisdone and leukeran. However for 7days starting today they have given Billy antibiotics to see if the lump will shrink at all.

Im just so upset and confused on what to do.. because he is so well in himself should i make the decision to start him om the prednisdone and leukeran? Iv heard there are side affects to it and dont want to see him ill :( the vet has said to tackle it b4 or if it escalates . Pls help :'(

Mary x
 

cocheezie

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Someone who is more knowledgeable than I am should be online soon.

I'm in a similar situation with a lump and a cat that's been feeling great lately, but I haven't  researched and haven't had to make any decisions yet. Hoping for the best for you and your cat.
 
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marymary

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Thank you and for you and you cat also x

its such a hard decision i dont want him to feel any pain or discomfort :(
 
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marymary

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Can anyone pls advise :( even if your cat has been thru this it will be really beneficial to hear ..
 

cocheezie

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It's a difficult decision to make. What chances did the vet give? Hopefully someone who has gone through this will be online soon.

In the meantime, there have been success stories on this forum. Read LDG's posting in this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270332/large-cell-lymphoma

For my cat, the vets do not believe that she would survive the operation. Like yours, she is showing no signs except for constipation (under control). There isn't a vet for 100 miles who does chemo in our area, so we are just monitoring for now and will make the decision when the cat makes the decision.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I guess you have to ask yourself, if it WERE lymphoma, what would you do?  Would you treat it or would you let it take it's course until your little one was showing some signs of discomfort?  If you would not treat it with chemo, then is there really any reason to know?  If you would begin chemo treatments, then the sooner you know, the better. 

I have not had a cat with lymphoma, but there are several people on this site who have...some have treated with chemo and their cats are still alive, some have treated with chemo and their cats still did not make it


Is that $700 price tag to remove the entire lymphnoid or just to take a sample of it for biopsy?  It sounds like just to take a sample from what you said, and I must say, that sounds awfully expensive that that procedure. (oops, I see that's not dollars, but pounds...I don't know the conversion in U.S. dollars
)  But from everything you said, it really does NOT sound like Lymphoma (no vomiting or diarrhea, no weight loss, the protein levels were good, etc. , although certainly something is causing the lump.  Anyway, I still ask the same question, if it WERE cancerous, would you treat it...have you discussed cost, time, effect on your kitty, etc. with your Vet?

 
 

ldg

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It's a very individual decision, really. I personally wouldn't treat for cancer without having a proper diagnosis - which means the biopsy. The problem with that is that with an enlarged lymph node rather than a mass (being most likely small cell cancer vs. large cell, which our Lazlo had), a biopsy doesn't necessarily provide a definitive diagnosis. :(

What you may want to consider is putting your kitty on pred if the course of antibiotics doesn't clear things up (meaning it isn't an infection). The pred can help with the inflammation, and if it is cancer, make your kitty comfortable and potentially slow down the progression. It won't do as much as the combination of pred and leukeran - but I have to agree with mrsgreenjeens. Your kitty doesn't seem to be exhibiting symptoms of cancer. :dk:
 
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marymary

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Thankyou for your replys

Cocheezie - the vet said a biopsy would be required to determine if it definately is cancer but due to the cost it wont be possible so vet said we must treat it as though it is cancer. Thank you for sharing the link it has been insightful reading it i really am praying that the anti biotics shrink the lump he is on day3 of it. He will be back at vets on Monday so i need to make a decision by then :(

Mrs
 
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marymary

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Mrsgreenjeens - if it was lymphoma for definate then yes i would begin chemo. £700 is just for the biopsy and there is no way i could afford that if i could then without doubt i would get the biopsy done. And he hasnt shown signs of cancer or being ill thats why im so afraid to begin chemo as iv read the side affects i dont want billy to feel ill :( the vet said for the chemo it would be a tablet every 2days and the cost would be £35 a month and the vet said that he would need to be on the leukeran for life? Unless we decide to ween him off? This is all so new to me.
 
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marymary

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LDG - yes i agree.. its such a hard decision. I think i will speak to vet about putting billy on just the pred. Is that chemo aswell or is tht just the leukeran? Sorry little confused. Im so happy i stumbled across this forum :) x
 
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marymary

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Vet just said it was a lymph noid and the only way to tell if its cancerous is to do a biopsy. It was alot of information to digest initially so i phoned back again and all i was told that it could POSSIBLY be lymphoma x
 

tinybash

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Daisy had lymphoma. She had surgery as we wanted to know what we were dealing with before starting chemo. Her chemo gave her a great quality of life for a good few months. From diagnosis to when she left us (6 months later) the cost was about £1400 - i'm in the uk but my vet has a good quality hospital so no need for external consultants. If I can help in anyway please let me know. I know how traumatic this feels.

Good luck and vibes heading your way :)
 

misty8723

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When the vet found a lump in Cindy abdomen, it took a long time to even get a confirmation that it was cancer.  Once that was certain, they still couldn't find out what kind.  We asked the vet about chemo anyway and were told that no one would give chemo without knowing what kind of cancer they were treating.  We finally had to have surgery for Cindy to remove the lump if they could and get a diagnosis so we could get into treatment.

If leukeran is chemo treatment, I would NOT give it to him until you have a definite diagnosis.  Did the vet suggest a fine needle aspirate?  That still might not get a good diagnosis, because we initially tried that with Cindy, but it's less invasive than surgery.  Also, there is such a thing, apparently, as a "reactive lymph node" which isn't cancer.  In Cindy's case, what seemed to be her lymph node was actually a tumor attached to her colon.

As for steroid, I think getting Cindy on steroid while we were trying to find the type of cancer saved her life.  However, in Cindy's case, she was clearly not doing well, losing weight as well as other symptoms.

I wish you good luck, I know how hard it is when you don't know and no one has an answer for you.
 

random gemini

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I'm going to try to just give you the facts as I understand them from my experience and some of my experience won't even apply, because it's my dog that has lymphoma, not my cat. However, please understand that whatever you decide, this is a highly emotional decision. Anyone who says that it isn't, is lying to you. Do not let anyone else decide for you. No one else is equipped to make these decisions for your cat, other than you. Only you know him best. What ever choice you make, will be the right choice. I support you, no matter what you choose, 100%. 

This cancer is a silent killer. Often, the only symptom of it, is a single swollen lymph node. 

First, get a second opinion. Your regular vet should not be offended by this. Getting another vet who has never seen your cat to offer up the same opinion, is as good as confirmation and is probably less expensive than surgery. 

It's completely ok to let money enter into the decision making process. Your cat does not care if you are rich or poor and will love you anyway. He does not know that he has cancer. All he knows is that he wants to be right where he is now, happy and loved. Any decision you make, will include you giving him some good days before his time comes.

Once you have confirmed the diagnosis, get a consult with a veterinary oncologist before deciding to start chemo. They don't see many cats for chemo treatment, so be prepared to hear a lot of "maybes" and "I think this might work." 

High dose, daily steroids have been proven to sometimes work on some types of lymphoma. My dog has the type that responds to steroid treatment. Your cat might too. There's a 50/50 chance of that. If he does, you could have some good months left. If you decide to do steroid treatment instead of chemo, be aware of the long term side effects of high dose steroids and watch for them. There are other medications your vet can give that will counteract some of these side effects, but there will come a time when you will have to stop steroids. I've just hit this place with my dog, who could not tolerate going to the vet for infusions because she's terrified of the vet. 

If you decide to wait and see, love him, every single day, which I expect you will do anyway. 

No matter what, you have given him a GOOD life, a better life than most cats get. Remember that you are a GOOD cat parent and no matter what you decide, know that it will be enough. 
 
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marymary

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Tinybash - the vet said the chemo tablet will cost roughly £35 a month, which is affordable for me. I will most definately be calling on you for help many thanks :) billy is on day 4 of the antibiotic..keeping my fingers crossed.

Misty8723 - the vet has not mentioned fine needle aspirate. I will enquire about that on Monday. How is cindy doing now? And did she need chemo?

Thank you so much every1 x
 
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marymary

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Hello all, its been a while since i last posted.

Random gemini i have just seen your response now :)

An update on Billy -

Billy was on the steroid prednisdone after a few days on that i took Billy back to the vet and she could not feel the lump at all she tried feeling for a while but nothing. So we decided to continue on the steroid after about 3wks Billy went back to the vets andthe lump has cone back. Its not as big as it initially was however there has definately been some regrowth.

After conversations with my vet she has advised that if i was to commence the luekeran treatment then i wont be able to administer it as women who may be trying to concieve for a baby shouldnt handle it as it can cause birth defects...

After several very difficult and emotional weeks i have finally come to a decision to start the luekeran treatment this week. My parents have agreed to help administer the tablet. I love Billy very much and i want to do what i can to help him. If the drug doesnt work for him or has side effects then we would lessen the dosage or take him off it.
 
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