Needle biopsy was inconclusive for intestinal lymphoma - what now?

[fionasmom]

Once again, late to this discussion. My Chelsea was treated with pred and then chlorambucil without the requisite tests.

 

[reba]

I'm surprised the vet didn't inform you that a large sum of those biopsies done have a big chance of coming back as inconclusive if they don't get a good spot. I'm assuming it was the needle aspirate one?

I would not assume that it's a death sentence, and this is coming from somebody who went through the exact same thing, same tests, same worries. Those results essentially mean that they didn't get a good enough sample to accurately see if there was anything. Her primary vet warned me of this because she didn't want me to keep doing repeat biopsies, just for the probability of it being inconclusive.

So for what worked for my daughter and kept her going for 3+ years when she was given about 90 days to live, was prednisolone and compounded omeprazole into a liquid. The Pred helped her gain weight back and unfortunately it does not come without its drawbacks but for me personally I did feel like the benefit of it outweighed those and kept her around for a really long time. If she gets prescribed any medication for it always ask if there is a chance of kidney damage and any other harm to organs just so you know to keep up with blood work. We also realize she suffered from extreme IBD due to immense intestinal thickening as well as a lot of her values were low because she couldn't absorb nutrients from the food from the swelling. As soon as her inflammation went down, all her low values went up.

Keep us updated, Molly is in good hands.

i have a question, maybe should post in a separate thread but I’ll try here first. My cat had IBD problems years ago and the vet mentioned intestinal lymphoma. She was on pred for a bit, but I weaned her off it. Now no issues, but recently she seems so hungry. She’s a little cat, but has always eaten as much as her brothers who are twice the size. Like she’ll wake me up and insist on being fed again. She’s put on some weight, but I’m worried. She’s 9 years old now. I think they have xrays of her belly from before. I‘m wondering if I should take her in and have her put on pred just in case. Thanks!

 

[fionasmom]

I would take her in and ask for some sort of workup before just randomly starting pred again. Excessive hunger can also be from diabetes or hyperthyroidism. Maybe some new bloodwork and imaging, depending on the advice of your vet.

 

[daftcat75]

i have a question, maybe should post in a separate thread but I’ll try here first. My cat had IBD problems years ago and the vet mentioned intestinal lymphoma. She was on pred for a bit, but I weaned her off it. Now no issues, but recently she seems so hungry. She’s a little cat, but has always eaten as much as her brothers who are twice the size. Like she’ll wake me up and insist on being fed again. She’s put on some weight, but I’m worried. She’s 9 years old now. I think they have xrays of her belly from before. I‘m wondering if I should take her in and have her put on pred just in case. Thanks!

Don’t just pred and pray. Get blood and urine and rule out other reasons for excessive appetite like thyroid and kidney disease. Then you’ll also want an ultrasound to confirm there is inflammation in her gut. Pred is very hard on a cat and shouldn’t be given as guesswork. There should be a confirmed need for it and preferably an exit plan for when and how to ween your cat off it. It shouldn’t be a long term solution except in the most difficult cases. And then it should be given at the lowest effective dose. Finally that your cat gained weight tells me it is most likely not lymphoma. Yet. It can always become lymphoma down the road. But often the hallmark of lymphoma is rapid and relentless weight loss. (And often some butt or gut symptoms too.)

 

[reba]

Thanks so much for your reply. That gives me more hope. I lost two of my cats this year (one bottle-fed and their father I took in) and so it’s been a hard year. They were all less than 10 years old.

 

[richard parker bff]

Six months ago, Molly had pancreatitis. The specialty vet did a needle biopsy on the intestines and the results came back as "inconclusive". She was diagnosed with IBD.

I thought she was out of the woods, as she is doing so much better with a change of diet. But she threw up (water) this morning, she's been hiding (she did that 6 months ago too) and hasn't eaten or drank anything.

I am going to call the vet tomorrow & get her seen. I gave her some gabapentin and ondansetron earlier today to relieve her symptoms (I had some on hand).

But - what does an inconclusive lymphoma needle biopsy mean? Is it a common finding in IBD cats? Or was the needle biopsy "inconclusive" for intestinal lymphoma because it was early stages and now the cancer is definite?

Any help you can give is appreciated. I love Molly so much! She sleeps with me every night and I cannot imagine not having my "bed buddy" with me.

after a 6000 dollar vet bill i was told the same thing. so sorry for what you’re going through. my cats vet told me to avoid extra diagnostics cost, treat him like he has lymphoma. we are starting on a regimen for specialized food (prescription diet x/d), steroids and chemotherapy :-( my cat currently only wants to eat my tasty human food and not his tasty perscriprion diet. once he starts steroids his appetite may kick up….but mines hasn’t :-( i don’t know what my cat is thinking or feeling but i can’t help giving him my food as long as he eats something. Sorry for the ramble, i think it might be time to spoil your cat. i brought mine out of hiding for some mac n cheese (not much just the sauce on a fork) and some plain beef brisket. it’s to keep his strength up before his first round of chemo and b12 which i pick up from vet tomorrow. my cat is not yet hiding he’s glued to my side but that’s also an end of life sign it depends on the cats personality. so sorry if you haven’t tried b12 shots or steroids, if your budget allows chemo. cats do a lot better w chemo and my doc said that when cats respond to consistent treatment they can live up to two years. i’m right here w you

 

[fionasmom]

My Chelsea responded to being treated with pred and chlorambucil without having done the tests. I hope that this works for your cat as well.