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Has anyone's cat had a GI biopsy via oral/rectal scope? I would appreciate your experiences as I make a decision:
My cat is strongly suspected of having GI lymphoma, but it is also possible he merely has severe IBD. Without a definitive diagnosis of cancer, the vet cannot start chemo. So, our options at this point are:
- Don't do a biopsy, and treat him with steroids alone. If he has IBD, this might resolve it. If he has lymphoma, this will help for a time, but eventually the steroids will stop working. He may live six months on steroids alone. I'm leaning toward saying no to this option, because if it is cancer, I want to treat it more aggressively.
- Do a full surgical biopsy. This is riskier than all the other options, requires a recovery time, and is very expensive. I've pretty much ruled this option out.
-The next option is a biopsy via scope. It doesn't give as much information as a surgical biopsy, but it involves less time under anasthesia, and treatment can begin immediately afterward. (Obviously, there are still risks with anesthesia. Especially considering that my cat is malnourished and is being treated for seizures of unknown cause.) A scope through the mouth only reaches the stomach and the top of the small intestine. Which means if the cancer were lower in the gut, this scope wouldn't see it.
-The scope biopsy can also be done through both ends - the mouth and the rectum. This way, it can see the lower part of the intestines as well as the top part. The concern with this option is it would require my cat to be on a liquid diet for 3 days beforehand, and then he would get a bunch of enemas before the procedure! On top of being uncomfortable, this is risky because my cat can't really afford to not eat for 3 days. He has lost half of his body weight over several months (yes, this is my fault, I should have gotten him to the vet a lot sooner) , and he needs every calorie he can get. I would hate to put him through this. But, if we do the mouth scope alone, we might not get an answer.
And there is the question of, if he does get a lymphoma diagnosis, what kind of quality of life will he have? Will the chemo make him miserable? It's possible that, even with chemo, he will only make it another year or two. Is that worth putting him through a biopsy and chemo?
You can't really answer all these questions for me - I have to make the decision- but I hope you can shed some light on your cats' personal experiences with these things.
Thank you!
My cat is strongly suspected of having GI lymphoma, but it is also possible he merely has severe IBD. Without a definitive diagnosis of cancer, the vet cannot start chemo. So, our options at this point are:
- Don't do a biopsy, and treat him with steroids alone. If he has IBD, this might resolve it. If he has lymphoma, this will help for a time, but eventually the steroids will stop working. He may live six months on steroids alone. I'm leaning toward saying no to this option, because if it is cancer, I want to treat it more aggressively.
- Do a full surgical biopsy. This is riskier than all the other options, requires a recovery time, and is very expensive. I've pretty much ruled this option out.
-The next option is a biopsy via scope. It doesn't give as much information as a surgical biopsy, but it involves less time under anasthesia, and treatment can begin immediately afterward. (Obviously, there are still risks with anesthesia. Especially considering that my cat is malnourished and is being treated for seizures of unknown cause.) A scope through the mouth only reaches the stomach and the top of the small intestine. Which means if the cancer were lower in the gut, this scope wouldn't see it.
-The scope biopsy can also be done through both ends - the mouth and the rectum. This way, it can see the lower part of the intestines as well as the top part. The concern with this option is it would require my cat to be on a liquid diet for 3 days beforehand, and then he would get a bunch of enemas before the procedure! On top of being uncomfortable, this is risky because my cat can't really afford to not eat for 3 days. He has lost half of his body weight over several months (yes, this is my fault, I should have gotten him to the vet a lot sooner) , and he needs every calorie he can get. I would hate to put him through this. But, if we do the mouth scope alone, we might not get an answer.
And there is the question of, if he does get a lymphoma diagnosis, what kind of quality of life will he have? Will the chemo make him miserable? It's possible that, even with chemo, he will only make it another year or two. Is that worth putting him through a biopsy and chemo?
You can't really answer all these questions for me - I have to make the decision- but I hope you can shed some light on your cats' personal experiences with these things.
Thank you!
