Squamos Cell Carcinoma

jil05

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Hi everybody.

My 14 year old cat has squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth.  I am wondering if there is anything at all that I can do?  It appeared approx. 2 months ago. It was not big when we noticed it and the vet said to wait a month that is might be from fleas.  We waited a month and then we had to wait another week as there was a misunderstanding and we took her back home as the vet was too busy to do the biopsy that day. She had the biopsy three weeks ago and it is quite big now.  When doing the biopsy the vet did say it was very deep. 
I was told from the vet that there is nothing that could be done.  Was she right? I have been reading some posts and I see some have chosen radiation and some other new therapies.  Have I let her down waiting?  Is there really nothing that I can do?  She is still eating although in some pain and she is getting uncomfortable now.  Please, anybody with any advice please post.  I just want to know that I have done everything right by her as I have to make the decision to let her go soon.  I have other cats but this is my best friend.  She is very special to me, not that I do not love the others as much, it's just different.
Thank you so much.
 

margd

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I am so sorry about this. My dear boy Milo was diagnosed with this at age 14 so I know what you are going through. My vet was also discouraging about treatment and in the end, I followed her advice. In Milo's case, he didn't develop any symptoms until late in the disease and I had him PTS 11 days later when he could no longer eat and was clearly in pain. I'm still grieving for him but it was clear he was starting to suffer.

My sense is this is a particularly nasty, fast growing cancer and there was probably very little you could have done, even had you known earlier. You mustn't blame yourself for this as you sought medical help and did everything you could. I'm not sure how the vet mistook squamous cell carcinoma for fleas though.

When Milo was given his diagnosis, I took lots of pictures and wrote and wrote about everything he did in those days. These things helped me feel reconnected to him afterwards. He was also 14, like your kitty.

I wish I had more encouraging news. Perhaps someone else has had a better outcome. This is such a very sad thing. My heart goes out to you.
 

ruthm

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JIL05, I am so sorry for your kitty and you. I don't have experience or really advice, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what you are going though.  Is there any way you can see an IM for a 2nd opinion as to treatment? 
 

red top rescue

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My best friend just put her cat to sleep after a battle with squamous cell cancer of the mouth.  He was born in 2002, so that makes him 13.  His started as a pea sized bump under his tongue which the vet discovered when doing dentistry.  The vet thought it was just a cyst but did a needle biopsy anyhow.  He was horrified when it came back as squamous cell carcinoma because the outcome is pretty dire -- in general none of them will survive beyond one year after diagnosis.  My friend's vet referred her to a specialist in Lexington (she lives an hour south of there in Kentucky) and the specialist x-rayed the cat to see if there were any metastases before deciding on a treatment.  There were definitely two spots inside the abdomen, so rather than doing surgery, he opted for oral chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, a very potent drug, in hopes of shrinking the tumor (as her cat was already having trouble eating).  He also had him on prednisone to help his appetite and help him feel better.  For awhile the chemo didn't seem to bother him, and he was getting small doses 4 x a week, but the tumor continued to grow.  After a couple of months on the chemo, he started to show signs of kidney failure and the vet told her he was dying and to just keep him comfortable.  Within less than a week he stopped eating and she fed him with a syringe but on his last day he refused that and climbed into a paper bag on the floor and pretty much collapsed, so she did have him put to sleep that day as he no longer had any quality of life, on August 28th.  It was so sad because he was a kitten she and her husband bought together (purebred Manx) and raised together, he was their "child" because they had no human children together, although he had two from his previous marriage.  Her husband died 2 years ago, and the cat went just a week before the anniversary of her husband's death, which was yesterday, September 8th. 

She did say that if she had known the chemo wouldn't make much difference, or might have even hastened the kidney failure, she would not have done it, but how can you know if you don't try?  She didn't expect it to save him but hoped to have more quality time with him, but it wasn't to be. Money was not an object for her, but she really didn't want to lose this cat, he was her "baby" and he really did pretty well except for the eating problem until the last week.  For him, it was less than three months from diagnosis to death.  These kinds of tumors are pretty much inoperable because of their location.

Another friend of ours is going through something similar with her dog, a Saluki, and she is just keeping him comfortable with steroids and special food and love until the time comes. They actually were going to do surgery on him to remove the visible mass, but they found that what looked small in his mouth totally filled the space above his soft palate as well.  So far, hes doing fine, but she knows their time is limited and is just spending the best quality time she can  with this dog she adores.  He is 11 years old.

So I guess this is the long way of telling you that I believe your vet is advising you honestly and wisely, and radiation and chemo would probably make no difference or even shorten his life.  This kind of tumor is going to grow quickly no matter what you do, and the best thing you can do is love him an keep him as comfortable as you can for as long as you can, and when you can't do that any more, you send him quickly to the rainbow bridge with love.   Don't feel guilty, because doing a biopsy sooner would not have had any impact on the outcome.  You have not failed her, and perhaps you have saved yourself a month of suffering because in this case, it is better not to know until you really have to know. I know you will put her comfort first and that's a blessing for her, but I am really, really sorry you have to go through this too.
 
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jil05

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Thank you so much for your replies. The vet explained that the fleas can cause an allergy that can cause a swelling?... and that it was an odd spot for one but that maybe it was a swelling from that. 

Money is an option for me so if I chose chemotherapy, it would be a great struggle to find the money.  I know the vet said that there was nothing to be done... It is such an aggressive cancer that it would only buy a small amount of time and it would be painful time.  I know I am reaching for straws...I'm just having such a hard time with this.

From most of the posts I have read it is usually the same outcome.  I just wish I could make her better. 

I had an operation twelve years ago and this cat did not leave my side while I recovered.  She only left to go eat and use the litter box .It was a long recuperation too. She has always been such a warm and loyal cat. I want to do the best I can for her. 

Thank you again.  It helps to talk to fellow cat lovers like all of you, most people just don't understand cats or their cat parents that love them.
 
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