Possible Oral Cancer :-(

I am hoping my fellow kitty experts can help or provide advice with my cat, Marty's current situation. Marty is an older cat that we got as a stray two years ago. We don't know his exact age, but the vet estimates him to be around 10 to 13 years old. We took him to the vet today to have a dental cleaning due to him needing some teeth extracted. The vet called and said she sees a tumor in near his gums in the back of his mouth. :-( My husband and I are devastated over receiving this news. The vet is going to biopsy the tumor. Has anyone had experience with their cats having oral cancer and if they ever had their cat go through radiation therapy? Marty already had a mast cell tumor removed from his side about a year ago. My husband and I have to make some really difficult decisions due to the financial costs adding up. We love our cat and want to do what is best for him. Any advice or suggestions would be MUCH appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Our beloved 16 year old cat Bailey was diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma in October 2015. Our vet gave us just a few options which included surgery to remove the tumor or radiation and chemotherapy to treat the tumor. Unless the tumor is still very small, none of these options are effective,

We discovered a rather new treatment called Palladia which is mostly used as an anti tumor drug in dogs but can be used off label in cats as well. Bailey has tolerated Palladia very well and it has kept the tumor from growing. I suggest you contact a vet oncologist immediately and discuss treating your cat with Palladia and Piroxicam. Good luck

I am so sorry to hear about your Bailey. :-( This is super helpful information. I am definitely going to look into the option you explained and I will bring it up with my vet. Is it a pill that needs to be taken each day? How did you order it? I am very hesitant to have my cat go through radiation therapy. Thank you so much. Your response is so appreciated. 

that is awful news I hope you and Marty can beat this. Thank you for giving Marty a loving home  

Palladia is a pill and is given every other day. Piroxicam is an anti-inflammatory and is also given every other day. Palladia can also be combined with radiation therapy, which may be more effective than Palladia alone. The medicine and blood work are about $100 a month.

This is a devastating disease and the sooner you start treatment the better. I wish you the best.

Oh wow, that is a horrible and unexpected call to be getting I hope it is treatable in some way that is doable both for you and your kitty.

I'm really sorry to hear about Marty.  This is such a dreadful disease.  I can imagine how upset you are right now because I have been exactly where you are.  

Marty's situation sounds almost exactly like that of my old boy, Milo.   A tumor was discovered on his upper gum during his dental cleaning.  The vet removed the tumor as best she could and sent it out for a biopsy - it came back as squamous cell carcinoma.  My vet was not encouraging about radiation treatment.  I don't know if this was because Milo's case was so advanced or because she didn't think it was an effective treatment for the condition.    

I second @Yort  s suggestion about taking Marty to an oncologist and discussing the medications recommended.  What (s)he relates is very encouraging.

My fingers are crossed for Marty's well being.    

Just wanted to add my prayers that Marty's biopsy comes back negative and that this is treatable. Hugs and healing vibes being sent.

So sorry to hear that! Know that you are surrounded by a great community here at TCS and we are pulling for Marty!

Hi, how is Marty doing? I am so sorry to hear that he may have oral cancer. It is such a horrible disease that moves quickly. My beloved cat Chunk, was diagnosed on Dec 13 with SCC and he lost his battle in Feb 1. We opted for the surgery and radiation but the cancer was just too aggressive. After the surgery Chunk had to have a feeding tube (and do not worry if Marty needs to have one out in place, they seem scary but the feedings are easy-ish and reassuring knowing they are getting water and food while recupping). Please make sure your vet moves quickly, Chunk's tumor was just too far advanced. I pray for your family and Marty. Please keep us informed.