Lymphoma Diagnosis

jenmeow

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  Hi. I need support and advice. My 9 y.o. cat was diagnosed with intestinal low grade Lymphoma this morning. I still need to get more info from the vet, but I am so sad right now. I am reading up on the internet, but I don't want to scare myself more with that. I trust my real vet more than what I might find online... These forums reach a wide audience of people, so I'd be very interested to hear what others have experienced, even if your cat has passed. :( 

If you can respond to any of these questions, I'd really appreciate it. I don't want to take up too much of your time:

1-  If you have a cat who HAS lymphoma (now),  how long has he or she had it? Are you doing Chemo? How is that going? Is it making anything better? 

2-  If you have a cat who HAD lymphoma and passed away (I am so sorry) - did you do Chemo? How long did your cat survive after the diagnosis?


3-  Did your cat have lymphoma AND it went into remission? How long has it been for you since your cat had the lymphoma? 


4-  If your cat has lymphoma, do you recommend any nutritional or supplement support that MAY help?

Thank you all in advance for any help you can provide.

Jen & Bridgette (my kitty)

 

 

margd

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Bumping this up in hopes that someone can answer these questions. 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I'm so sorry about the diagnosis
  That's always something you hate to hear, just like so many things
.

There ARE people here on TCS who have cats that have had Lymphoma, and some have passed, and some are still alive.   Some had chemo, and some did not.    I CAN tell you that a long time member had a cat diagnosed with large cell lymphoma way back in 2011, and he did have chemo, and he's still with us
.  Now she has a cat with small cell (low grade) Lymphoma, and she must be doing ok, because she hasn't posted otherwise.  She is also doing treatments, or was back in March.   AND I can tell you that cats tolerate chemo different than humans, normally much better.  I will ask that member to pop in here if she is able and give tell you her experience.  She has a HUGE thread about the large cell lymphoma,, but not much on the small cell.

Have you talked to an oncologist yet?    That's your first order of business I would think.

Hang in there.
 

ldg

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J jenmeow , low grade lymphoma is also called "small cell" lymphoma. It is a very slow-growing cancer, and is very treatable! It is treated with a combination of prednisolone and a chemotherapeutic drug "leukeran," the generic of which is chlorambucil. The pred is usually given at a high dose for the first 3 weeks to month, and then tapered down to a once daily or once-every-other-day dose. The chlorambucil is also just a pill you give at home. It is usually given every-other-day or every third day.

Most cats do very well with this, and have no side-effects. Some are sensitive to the pred and get constipated. This was the case with our Spooky, and since she wouldn't eat her food with any fiber added, we just use miralax. But now that she's on the every-other-day dose of pred, she no longer needs it.

A high protein, low carb, grain-free diet is recommended for EVERY cat, and feeding canned only helps get the moisture they need into them. I also give probiotics to my cats. Cats with intestinal cancer may have impaired intestines, and thus B12 shots are recommended, it helps nutrient digestion. Plant-based digestive enzymes like the Animal Essentials Probiotics & Digestive Enzymes can also really help, as they help kitty get more nutrition out of the food.

The prognosis is good. The few studies on length of life after diagnosis indicate an average life span of about 2.5 years - but this is partially simply due to the age of most cats at the time of diagnosis, and if one reads the studies, you find that many died of reasons OTHER than the lymphoma! Again, a factor of the average age at diagnosis. I know many kitties with small cell intestinal lymphoma that are doing great years later. She may need to be on the chlorambucil for life. Or you can have a follow-up ultrasound done annually to measure the thickness of her bowels. According to our oncologist, when small cell goes into remission, it stays in remission.

Please ask any further questions, and best of luck to you and your kitty. :heart2: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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