FAQ

There are many types of cancers that can affect your pet and the behavior and prognosis can vary depending on subtype and stage. Your primary care veterinarian will help you decide if your pet has a problem that should be addressed by a specialist, and will help to refer you for a consultation if it is indicated. From there, we will review diagnostic tests to help discuss treatment options and possible outcomes. Since many tumors are treatable, meeting with a specialist to discuss the options and gather information is the best first step and does not commit you to any treatment protocol.

A prognosis is like a forecast of the most likely course of the disease. This is variable in every pet and depends on the tumor type, stage, and grade of the tumor. Your veterinary oncologist will review your pet’s records and discuss the expected prognosis with you based on different treatment options.

Staging is performed to determine if and where the tumor has spread (metastasized) from the primary tumor site.  Staging helps determine both the prognosis and the recommended treatment options. 

Staging may include:  physical examination, lymph node evaluation, chest x-rays, abdominal ultrasound, CT or MRI scans, and cytology and/or biopsy of the mass.  Some or all of this staging may have been done by your primary care veterinarian and should not need to be repeated.

Grading is determined by a veterinary pathologist when evaluating a biopsy sample. Not all tumor types have a grading scheme. Grade helps to predict how aggressive the tumor may behave, with more aggressive tumors having a higher grade. Tumors with a higher grade are more likely to recur and/or spread (metastasize).

Your veterinary oncologist will perform cytology by removing a small sample of tumor cells with a needle and evaluating them under a microscope. This simple procedure generally does not require any sedation or anesthesia.  Cytology is typically the starting point for most lump and bump evaluations. If the cells are benign (non-cancerous) no further workup is needed.  Some tumors are easy to diagnose by cytology alone, other times it tells us we need to biopsy the lesion.

Biopsy/histopathology involves removing a small piece of the tumor and submitting it to the pathologist for review.  This will allow the pathologist to assess the architecture of the tissue and determine the tumor subtype and grade of the tumor.  This is often very important information for prognosis and is usually a part of grading a tumor. Biopsies can be done by either your primary care veterinarian, your oncologist, or a veterinary surgeon.

The quality of your pet’s life is always the first and foremost objective in their care.  Although there are potential side effects from any treatment, we make every effort possible to ensure side effects are mild, manageable, and resolve quickly. We will keep you advised of any potential side effects and are available to help with questions as you monitor your pet at home. Our goal is always to keep the risk-benefit ratio strongly in our favor and to find every single good day there is to be had.

Treatment options will vary greatly depending on the type, grade, and stage of the tumor and can range from very aggressive to a hospice care approach. Surgery may be all that is needed to control a local tumor that has not spread. If surgery cannot remove the entire tumor, radiation therapy may be needed to “clean up” the cancerous cells left behind after surgery. High grade or metastatic tumors tend to be treated with systemic chemotherapy. Your oncologist will discuss your options and help you to determine the best treatment approach for your family and pet.

Staging may include:  physical examination, lymph node evaluation, chest x-rays, abdominal ultrasound, CT or MRI scans, and cytology and/or biopsy of the mass.  Some or all of this staging may have been done by your primary care veterinarian and will not need to be repeated.

Grading is determined by a veterinary pathologist when evaluating a biopsy sample. Not all tumor types have a grading scheme. Grade helps to predict how aggressive the tumor may behave, with more aggressive tumors having a higher grade. Tumors with a higher grade are more likely to recur and/or spread (metastasize).