tumors

are tumors in cats usually filled with fluid or are they solid?  My cat had 130cc drained  from a lump in his leg about 2 weeks ago and now his leg is very swollen again! is that normal? Is there anything we can give him to reduce the swelling or is this pretty much it ?  

[Savas]

It sounds like an infection (if the swelling went down and came back in two weeks).

You may need antibiotics if the swelling doesn't resove in about a week. There could be an underlying issue causing the problem.

[jayster0726]

the didnt completely go down !  the fluid came back the next day !  But now its really swollen the vet told us it was cancer but i thought that the cancer is solid not liquid? anyway thanks for your answer

[zodiacqueen]

Hi,the vet is GUESSING that it's cancer.  I say guessing, because the ONLY way to get a definite diagnosis is to cut it out and send it to the lab for an analysis.  Please, do not accept the "diagnosis" that your vet gave you.  You are also correct, that most fluid filled lumps are benign.  MOST!!!!  Have they analyzed the fluid that they drained off the mass?  They could probably get a lot of info from that?  I would request that, if it hasn't been done yet!

Please, let us know how everything turns out.

PS-A good vet, wouldn't have told you that it was cancer without a lab's analysis.

[jayster0726]

yet my cat did have a biopsy of the fluid and it was negative! so we went to a specialist that told us that even though its negative that doesnt mean anything !  judging by the size and shape he told us it was cancer!  do you know if they have to put my cat to sleep in order to do the biopsy?

[zodiacqueen]

That is absolutely nuts!!!  I've had cats my entire life-most of the time more than one AND some of had tumors/cancer.  I have never had any vet OR specialist ever tell me that a tumor was definitely cancer without getting a biopsy!  I really am, truly shocked that both vet and specialist are diagnosing cancer without a biopsy.  Unbelievable!!!!  ={  

I really think you should go ahead and get the biopsy, and then you'll know the truth!!  I really think that you'll feel better, once you get the truth.  If it were me, I would feel less stressed out knowing what that mass is!  Yes, they'd have to sedate your cat to cut out that tumor/mass.  I think it will be a very quick surgery, and they probably won't have him under sedation for long!!  Did they say why they were so insistent that it's cancer?  I don't understand why they would say a liquid-filled lump is cancer, unless there's a cancer that I don't know about.  Try to stay positive, I know from experience how scary this is-get the proof first!!

[HelpinUtah]

I agree with Zodiacqueen.  Get them to cut out the tumor and have it tested.  My cat, Daisy, has a tumor on her thyroid and my vet said based on the feel of it, it's probably benign, but to be safe, I was supposed to watch it and then if she started to lose weight or gain weight to bring her in right away.  The ONLY reason he is not removing the tumor is it's on the thyroid and apparently causes more problems than it's worth if it isn't cancer.  But, in your case, I would think you would want that biopsy to have it confirmed!  Good luck!

[jayster0726]

yea so i went back to the vet and got his leg drained again this time it was 230cc of fluid !  the vet told us that the reason for the fluid is not that the tumor is that big its because of the location of the tumor ! according to her its wrapped around my cats hip going around the pelvis !  so the reason there is so much fluid is because the tumor is pressing on the lymphatic node which cant do its job of draining the fluids so it fills up its leg instead which makes some sense now!  the doctor says its 90 percent malignant and very agresssive type of cancer due to the shape !  we do wanna do the biopsy still ! they told us its going to be about 2000 dollars ! does that sound reasonable or should i shop around cause it sounds like alot of money!

[HelpinUtah]

$2,000 for a biopsy sounds really high to me.  I had a cat who had to have emergency care when his kidneys were not doing so well.  He stayed 3 days at the emergency clinic and had an MRI, several tests, and the bill was only $930.  Maybe call some other clinics and tell them what your vet is planning to do and see what their rates are.  It could be that it's a specialist doing it and then maybe it's not unreasonable.  Good luck and let us know what you find out.  Will be praying for your baby!!!  

[zodiacqueen]

After you've given some more details, it really does sound like it's more than a simple fluid-filled mass.  I also think that the $2000 is way too much for a biopsy!  They can do an Ultrasound guided needle biopsy.  It is a lot less than that.  I'm trying to remember how much I payed!!!  I had a needle biopsy of the liver and it was under $700.  Why not ask the vet about this procedure?  That $2000 is ridiculous!

Good luck!

[jayster0726]

thanks i will ask about that ! Do they put the cat to sleep for that ?  what is the diffrence between that and a regular biopsy ?  are u talking about taking out fluid or a piece of the tumor for biopsy? i already had the fluid tested !  Now does anyone know if would be possible for me to drain my cats leg?  its been filling up with fluid really fast and going to the vet every week and a half and spending 2 hundred dollars is kind of expensive! i have all the supplies and i know everything about sterile technique ( working in the operating room for the last 5 years) Does anyone know how they do it ? If they use lidocaine to numb the spot and how deep do they put the needle in order to drain it?

[zodiacqueen]

Hi, sorry that it took a while to get back to you-I was in school!

When they do a needle biopsy, they use ultrasound to guide them to where the tumor is and they get a small sample.  A "regular" biopsy involves getting a larger sample of tumor, and is a more invasive procedure-actually cutting into the body to get the sample.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that that's what your vet wants to do and why it is so much money.

Yes, with both procedures your kitty will have to be put to sleep.  Of course, with the needle biopsy it will not be for too long-it's very quick.  Don't worry about putting the cat to sleep for a little while!  If he's got no heart problems, he'll be fine!  =D  Also, please don't drain the leg yourself!  There are too many blood vessles and nerves that you might hit, and you may do some serious harm to your cat.

Is your cat having any other symptoms, besides the leg swelling up?  

[jayster0726]

nope no other symptoms but the leg swelling! trust me thats big enought it blows up pretty fast ! it looks like he has a baseball on his side!

[zodiacqueen]

From what you described earlier, it does sound like it builds fluid up too fast!  Poor kitty, and he!!-poor you, too!  I just wanted to make sure there were no other symptoms!  

What kind of cancer is your vet suspecting?  Have any x-rays been taken?  Did you ask about the needle biopsy?  The tumor really does sound like it's close to the skin surface and is easy enough to get to for that type of biopsy!

Wish you and your kitty the best!

[jayster0726]

they think its malignant and very aggresive (aggressive) !  they think its wrapped around his hip bone and pelvis so i dont think that its close to the surface!  it does fill up very quickly !  poor cat was limping bad today so i dont think we gonna have him suffer to much longer !  the thing that ***** about it is that its just his dam leg ! Everything else is fine he is eating fine fighting with the other cat being friendly but the leg its horrible its really swollen !  we might have it drained again and maybe put him on steroids hopefully that will help !  anyway i appreciate all your help !  I let you know what happens

[zodiacqueen]

I'm sorry to hear that his leg is bad again!  That must be incredibly frustrating!  ={  Maybe, if you can swing it, look in to getting a surgery that can free up that lymphatic vessel so that you won't have to keep getting that leg drained.  That might be a good option since your kitty isn't having any other symptom.  Maybe getting that surgery might wind up saving you some bucks, since you've had to pay $200 every time you get his leg drained.  I bet that' was the reason your vet was gonna charge you $2000, in order to get a biopsy and remove some tumor so the leg doesn't swell up anymore.  I'm only guessing here!

I'm sorry that you and your kitty have to go through all of this.  I know exactly what a tough time this is.  Hang in there, and give kitty lots of love and treats!