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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Cat survival after splenectomy for splenic mast cell tumors

By Evans, B J et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2018·College of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Treatment outcomes and prognostic factors of feline splenic mast cell tumors: A multi-institutional retrospective study of 64 cases.

Species:
cat
Skin & coatCats

Plain-English summary

A 10-year-old domestic shorthair cat was diagnosed with a splenic mast cell tumor after showing signs of lethargy and loss of appetite. The cat underwent surgery to remove the spleen, and some cats in the study also received chemotherapy. Those that had their spleens removed lived significantly longer, with an average survival of about 856 days, compared to 342 days for those that did not have surgery. While chemotherapy's impact is still unclear, surgery appears to be a crucial factor in improving survival for cats with this type of tumor.

People also search for: cat splenic tumor treatment · mast cell tumor in cats · cat surgery recovery time

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mast cell tumors (MCT) are common splenic tumors in cats, but there is limited information on treatment outcomes of cats with this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated treatment outcomes in 64 cats with splenic MCT. Cats were categorized into the following treatment groups: splenectomy (A, n = 20); splenectomy with chemotherapy (B, n = 20); chemotherapy alone (C, n = 15); or supportive care (D, n = 9). RESULTS: Median tumor specific survival (MTSS) was: 856, 853, 244, 365 days for groups A, B, C, and D, respectively. The MTSS was not significantly different between the 4 groups. However, comparing cats that had splenectomy (A and B) versus those that did not (C and D), the MTSS was 856 and 342 days, respectively (p=0.008). None of the prognostic factors analyzed significantly influenced survival. CONCLUSION: Splenectomy (+/- chemotherapy) significantly prolongs survival in cats with mast cell tumors. The role of chemotherapy remains unknown.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28168776/