Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common is lymphoma in UK cats and what raises risk
By Economu, L et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2021·The Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Incidence and risk factors for feline lymphoma in UK primary-care practice.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that 271 cats were diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer, in the UK during 2016. The research showed that older male cats and those with insurance were more likely to develop lymphoma, while vaccinated cats had a lower risk. The findings suggest that factors like age and insurance status may influence the likelihood of a lymphoma diagnosis, but vaccination appears to offer some protective benefit. If you notice symptoms like weight loss, vomiting, or lethargy in your cat, it's important to consult your veterinarian for further evaluation.
People also search for: cat lymphoma symptoms · why is my cat losing weight · vaccinated cats lymphoma risk
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to estimate the incidence and prevalence of feline lymphoma in cats attending primary-care practices across the UK and to identify patient-based and environmental (radon and pesticide exposure) risk factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Case records from the VetCompass programme from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK were searched for a diagnosis of lymphoma in cats in 2016. Cases were required to have had an external laboratory confirmed diagnosis based on cytology and/or histopathology. A nested case-control study design was used to identify risk factors for lymphoma using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: From a cohort of 562,446 cats under veterinary care at VetCompass participating practices in 2016, a total of 271 lymphoma cases were identified (prevalence: 48/100,000, 95% confidence interval (CI) 44 to 56/100,000; incidence 32/100,000, 95% CI 26 to 35/100,000). There were 180 incident lymphoma cases and 803 controls, all aged 2 years and older. Male (odds ratio (OR) 1.7, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.4), insured (OR 3.6, 95% CI 2.3 to 5.6) and older cats (compared to cats 2 to <5 years, OR 5.0, 95% CI 2.8 to 8.8) were associated with increased odds of lymphoma diagnosis. Vaccinated cats were associated with decreased odds (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5 to 1.0) compared to unvaccinated cats, although the type of vaccination received was not statistically significant. Breed and environmental factors studied were not associated with a diagnosis of lymphoma. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first study to estimate the frequency and report risk factors for lymphoma in cats attending UK primary-care practice.
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/33325082/