Cancer In Cats

Cancer diseases are also being diagnosed more and more frequently in cats. This is certainly related to better diagnostics, perhaps to environmental toxins, and possibly also to other side effects of modern industrial society.

However, one of the reasons for the increase in tumor diseases is that our cats are getting better and better: with a balanced and healthy diet, well protected and the best medical care, the cats are getting older and older. And with increasing age, unfortunately, the risk of cancer also increases. Cancer is generally understood to be the uncontrolled growth of degenerated cells. In cats, hematopoietic tumors, i. H. blood cancers, are most commonly represented. They account for about 30 to 40 percent of all cancers.

Without Vaccination, The Risk Is Greater

Blood cancers can come in two forms. Like other types of cancer, they can form lumps and growths (e.g. lymphosarcoma), but their cancer cells can also “swim” freely in the bloodstream. One then speaks of leukemia.

Some blood cancers are caused by a virus called feline leukemia virus (FeLV). Cats can be vaccinated against this virus. But this vaccination is suspected of triggering another form of cancer, vaccine-associated fibrosarcoma (see below). When weighing up the two risks, the way the cat is kept should be taken into account. Pure house cats that have no contact with other cats do not need vaccination against FeLV. Free roamers, however, should be vaccinated against FeLV. Because the risk of infection with FeLV and subsequent fatal disease is greater in these animals than the risk of fibrosarcoma. After blood cancer, tumors of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and mucous membranes are the second most common in cats. Skin cancer from the sun’s harmful UV rays, for example, is also a problem in cats. Animals with white faces or white ears are particularly at risk. So-called squamous cell carcinomas also develop relatively often on the oral mucosa.

Better Keep An Eye On Puncture Sites

Under the skin, so-called fibrosarcomas can form among other types of tumors. Some of these tumors (e.g. vaccine-associated fibrosarcoma) are suspected to be triggered by vaccinations, other injections, or even insect bites. However, this is no reason to forego a necessary vaccination or injection! It is important that you check the vaccination and other injection sites from time to time and contact a veterinarian immediately if you notice a hardening or a lump there.

Today, Cancer Is Often Curable

Mammary tumors, i.e. breast cancer, make up another large group of cancers in cats. Unfortunately, these are mostly malignant growths that need to be operated on quickly. It is often advisable to radically remove the entire mammary ridge and the associated lymph nodes. In fact, a tumor can develop in any organ. The sooner it is discovered, the better the chances of successful treatment. This also applies to malignant tumor diseases. The diagnosis of “cancer” does not automatically mean a death sentence for the affected cat. Because there are big differences between the different types of cancer and the degree of their malignancy, the therapies against cancer have gotten better and better in recent years. Nowadays, many types of cancer can be cured if they are recognized early and treated with all due diligence. If a cure is not possible, the veterinarian can in many cases prolong the life of the cat with cancer and at the same time improve its quality of life with the appropriate treatment. The treatment options for cancer are explained in the next issue.

Small Dictionary

• Encapsulated: If the tumor has formed a capsule, that’s very good. Because it can be removed more easily than cancer that grows into the tissue.
• Benign: Benign means benign. But benign tumors can also cause damage if, for example, they displace healthy tissue through their growth or, for example, pinch off blood vessels.
• Invasive: Invasive growth means that the cancerous tissue grows into healthy tissue and is sometimes difficult to distinguish from healthy tissue.
• Carcinoma: Malignant cancer that arises from cells that line the surface of the skin, mucous membranes, and glands.
• Malone: Tumors are referred to as malignant (cancerous) if they show one or more of these characteristics: very rapid growth, ingrowth into the tissue, and metastasis.
• Metastasis: Spread of cancer. When degenerated cells detach from the cancerous tumor, grow in another place in the body and form a daughter tumor (metastasis), one speaks of metastasis.
• Sarcoma: These types of cancer originate from cells in the connective and supporting tissues of the body. The exact place of origin is indicated with a prefix. Osteosarcoma (osteo = bone), for example, is bone cancer.
• Tumor: A tumor is a growth. Theoretically, even a completely harmless bump can be a tumor. Tumors that are based on tissue proliferation can be benign or malignant.