Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs and survival of liver cancer in 19 cats studied
By Goussev, Staci A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2016·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical Characteristics of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in 19 cats from a Single Institution (1980-2013).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 19 cats with liver tumors called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCA) were studied to understand their symptoms and outcomes. Many of these cats were older and showed signs like weight loss and decreased appetite. While only a few had noticeable abdominal masses, many tumors were found through ultrasound, with some being quite large. Cats that had surgery to remove the tumors lived longer, with one cat surviving four years after treatment with a chemotherapy drug called carboplatin. Overall, the findings suggest that early detection and surgical intervention can improve survival in cats with this type of cancer.
People also search for: cat liver cancer symptoms · hepatocellular carcinoma treatment in cats · cat weight loss and appetite loss
Abstract
Clinical features of feline hepatocellular carcinoma (HCA) have been poorly characterized. In this retrospective study, we describe the signalment, clinical features, clinicopathologic parameters, imaging characteristics, hepatic mass size and lobe distribution, concurrent disorders, and survival in 19 cats with HCA. HCA is a rare neoplasm in elderly cats often associated with weight loss, hyporexia, and increased hepatic transaminase activities. Concurrent disorders (e.g., hyperthyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease, cholangiohepatitis, copper-associated hepatopathy) often confounded interpretation of clinical and clinicopathologic findings; 42% of HCA were incidentally identified. Although an abdominal mass was palpated in only 21% of cats, many cats had masses identified on ultrasonographic imaging with 47% having lesions >4 cm. Tumors were nearly equally distributed between right and left liver lobes, and two cats had HCA in multiple liver lobes. Median survival of eight cats diagnosed antemortem was 1.7 (0.6 to 6.5) yr. Median survival of six cats undergoing HCA surgical resection was 2.4 (1.0 to 6.5) yr with two cats still alive at time of manuscript submission. Following surgical resection, one cat treated with carboplatin survived 4 yr. Two cats with HCA diagnosed antemortem without surgical resection survived for 0.6 and 1 yr.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26606201/