Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs and survival of liver cancer in 19 older cats
By Staci Goussev et al.·Published in The Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2016·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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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 showed signs like weight loss and decreased appetite, but the tumors were often found incidentally during imaging rather than through physical exams. While some cats had surgery to remove the tumors, those that did had a better survival rate, with one cat living for four years after treatment. Overall, the study highlights the importance of imaging in diagnosing liver tumors in cats and suggests that surgical removal can improve survival.
People also search for: cat liver cancer symptoms · feline hepatocellular carcinoma treatment · cat weight loss and decreased appetite
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 Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/26606201