Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat has a mass on its toe - what is rhabdomyosarcoma?
By Heo, Seongwon et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2025·Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Heo, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Case of primary digital embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old Turkish Angora cat was brought to the vet with a mass on its right front paw. The cat had a previous surgery for a different mass two years earlier. After a biopsy, the vet diagnosed the mass as a rare type of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma. To treat it, the vet performed an amputation of the affected leg. This case is significant as it's the first known instance of this type of tumor in a cat, providing important information for future cases.
People also search for: cat mass on paw · Turkish Angora cancer treatment · cat leg amputation recovery
Abstract
An 11-year-old Turkish angora cat was presented with a mass in the right forelimb phalangeal region. Two years earlier, the cat had undergone surgical resection of a dorsal interscapular mass. Before initiating anticancer therapy, surgical incisional biopsy of a phalangeal region mass was done, followed by histopathologic and immunohistochemical analyses. The tumor cells demonstrated positive immunohistochemical labelling for desmin, vimentin, and myoblast determination protein 1, supporting a diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Histologic features were consistent with an embryonal subtype of RMS. Accordingly, a right forelimb amputation was completed. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a digital RMS in a cat. Because RMS is a rare tumor in cats, it is essential to study the clinical presentation, hematologic and serologic changes, treatment responses, and prognosis. Suitably, this case report provides valuable insight into the management of similar cases in cats. Key clinical message: This first reported case of digital RMS in a cat highlights the importance of studying the clinical presentation and treatment of RMS in feline patients.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41584241/