Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with liver cancer treated by artery blocking procedure
By Iwai, Satomi et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2015·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Transcatheter arterial embolization for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 16-year-old male domestic shorthair cat was brought in due to frequent vomiting, loss of appetite, and a noticeable weight loss over the past year. A large mass was found in his liver, and since surgery was not an option, the vet used a procedure called transcatheter arterial embolization to block the blood supply to the tumor. After the treatment, the cat's vomiting stopped, and follow-up scans showed the tumor had shrunk significantly. Eventually, the tumor was removed completely using a different method, and there was no sign of recurrence in the following months.
People also search for: cat liver tumor treatment · why is my cat vomiting · cat weight loss causes · transcatheter arterial embolization for cats
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 16-year-old 6.8-kg (15-lb) castrated male domestic shorthair cat was evaluated because of a 3 × 6-cm mass in the right medial lobe of the liver. CLINICAL FINDINGS: The cat had a history of frequent vomiting and anorexia along with 10% weight loss over the past year. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Transcatheter arterial embolization was selected because surgery (standard first-line treatment) was declined and only 1 vessel feeding the tumor was apparent on contrast-enhanced CT. A 4F sheath was placed in the left carotid artery, and a 3.3F guide catheter was advanced into the celiac artery. A 0.014-inch guidewire and 1.7F microcatheter were inserted into the hepatic artery through the guiding catheter and advanced into the feeding vessel. A mixture of polyvinyl alcohol particles and contrast agent was injected for embolization. A hypoechoic area in the tumor was identified on ultrasonography on posttreatment day 6, and necrotic and degenerated cells in the area were identified cytologically. By posttreatment day 71, vomiting had resolved and CT revealed decreased tumor size, but altered attenuation suggested a more solid mass on day 205. No feeding vessel for embolization was found on contrast-enhanced CT, so ultrasonic emulsification to remove the tumor was performed on day 231. No recurrence was seen on contrast-enhanced CT on day 420 or day 721. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings suggested that transcatheter arterial embolization may be suitable for treating hepatic tumors in cats, but alternative approaches are needed in cats, compared with dogs, owing to anatomic differences.
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/26594813/