Get Dr. Dressler's Dog Cancer Diet FREE Hi! I have been getting feedback about mast cell tumors and I would like to get some info out there. I will focus on some conventional medicine advances for the time being that should be thoroughly checked into by dog lovers interested in mast cell tumors. These are not general cancer recommendations, rather just a window to full spectrum care, which is a phrase I coined to describe evidence-based selection of cancer fighting weapons from any source. I will focus on Western (allopathic) viewpoints today.
First, the traditional treatment is surgery…get ‘em out. I wrote about pre-treatment with Benadryl before surgery, in a previous post, so remind your vet. Have any mass aspirated (needle biopsy) before surgery to diagnose most mast cell tumors so your vet surgeon has a general diagnosis before surgery.
Chemo consists of drugs like prednisolone, vinblastine, and others traditionally. Chemo in dogs is tolerated better than in humans as lower doses are used for cancer. The word “chemo” has a bad ring to it, but this is a prejudice developed from human medicine. Dogs generally handle it better, on the average, although everyone is different.
Note: if you have a Collie or related breed, make sure your vet tests for a MDR-1 gene mutation common in these herding dogs. This genetic issue may increase chances of side effects not only from vinblastine (above), but also vincristine and doxorubicin. Doses of these drugs shoud be lowered significantly if your dog is positive on this test. For more information, see the post on 8/30/08.
Predisolone or prednisone (“pred”, ) are cheap, common, side effects are most often not too bad, and they are tablets so you can change the dose easily depending on your dog’s responses. Vinblastine is a stronger chemo vinca alkaloid chemo agent, more potent than pred, which requires the dog to be in the hospital for injections. Some oncologists like cyclophosphamide and L-asparaginase (you’ll get different opinions and preferences from different oncologists). These are all used for mast cell tumors.
Some stats for Grade 3 mast cell tumors treated with surgery, pred, and vinblastine: At 1 year after surgery, 57% of dogs were still alive, and at 2 years 45% were still alive. Average remission times are about 10 weeks to 5 months with surgery, prednisolone, and vinblastine. Remember, every dog is different however.
Radiation is used for mast cell tumors that are difficult to remove completely, or any grade 3. This can be high voltage radiation, or brachytherapy, which involves the use of radioactive implants within the tumor site. Yes, a little weird, involved, and costly, but long remissions in the literature.
Many are not into invasive care, so take a look below:
One that should be considered for a less intensive protocol is Lomustine, or CCNU. This drug has gotten a lot of attention in the last couple of years for good reason. It is a pill, and can be given every 3 weeks. Pretty easy and non-invasive, unlike most chemo protocols, and is a single agent so it is simple. About 40% of dogs with mast cell tumors respond to CCNU all by itself, which is pretty darn good.
Cimetidine should be used in dogs with mast cell tumors, especially those with decreases in appetite or vomiting. This is an antacid which kills two birds with one stone. Mast cell tumors cause excessive acid production in the stomach when they get bad, which cimetidine counters. Additionally, cimetidine has some good anticancer effects that have nothing to do with acid stomach. Finally, it is cheap and easy to get.
Ask your vet about intralesional triamcinolone. They may have not used it before, so do not be surprised, but they can access the info easily (1 mg per cm q 2-3 weeks SQ). It is an simple injection of a form of cortisone that most vets will have sitting on their shelves. It is not very expensive, and very common. Every 2-3 weeks, your vet can inject the mast cell tumor, or infuse the area where the mast cell tumor was removed, with a small dose of this drug. The direct contact of the triamcinolone with any mast cells left in the body will blast them pretty good.
A new drug called SU 111654 (great name eh?) is being worked on at Michegan State University. Looks promising. There is also a technique out there consisting of injecting the mast cell tumor sites with deionized water. Cheap as dirt, but mixed reviews.
This post is just a piece of full spectrum cancer care for mast cell tumors folks. There is a lot more, but I’ll let you sink your teeth into this…
Best to all,
Dr Dressler
About the Author
Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM is known as the "dog cancer vet" and is author of Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Beyond Surgery, Chemotherapy & Radiation. Visit his blog and sign up free to get the latest information about canine cancer. Go to http://DogCancerBlog.com.
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Dear Dr. Dressler,
My beloved bullmastiff, Lucy, has been living with a diagnosis of multiple grade 2 mast cell tumors since November of 2006. Lucy is now 7 years old.
She has been on Chlorambucil off an on since her diagnosis. The first time she went off of the drug because her lumps had been resolved for approximately 6 months. Sadly, they returned after 3 months and so we started giving her 4 mg of Chlorambucil per day again.
Lucy has twice been taken off of the chemo because, as you can guess, her white blood cell count dropped. She was taken off of the the chemo last August and her white cells rebounded quickly. In the meantime, she was treated as needed with low doses of prednisone (5 mg per day). However, in January the tumors began popping up all over and we put her back on the chemo. Now her white blood cells have dropped again and so, again, we have taken her off of the chemo.
Lucy takes a multi-vitamine, fish oil, vitamin E, Benadryl and Pepcid every day. Is there something more I should be giving her? Is there something I can give her to help her bone marrow?
Lucy’s skin itches her and she has developed very dark patches on her belly where her legs and tummy rub together. She licks it all the time. I have a topical treatment but it doesn’t really do much.
Lucy is 94 lbs and that is actually big for her frame. Even though she is a bullmastiff, she is a small one. Her appetite is great. But her tummy has always been sensitive – since she was a puppy. I have heard that virgin coconut oil may be good for her skin. Is this true? If so, what should I get and how should it be administered?
Please let me know if there is something I should try for her bone marrow and/or her skin. I will do anything for her.
Thank you very much for your time.
Sincerely,
Catherine
Dear Dr. Dressler -
Our beloved/precious 15 year old Shi-tzu was found to have a tumor on her toe about 3-4 months ago. It then spread to her thigh. It remained fairly quiet when we took her to the vet – they were going to take a biopsy – but she was found to have mild to moderate kidney failure.
About two weeks ago, the area on her leg became very enlarged and red. We took her to the vet and that day they found two tumors on her stomach. They took a biopsy and it was found to be mast cell cancer. She has been eating pretty poorly over the last month – that is when I started supplementing her with “Quick Start” high calorie supplement for dogs.
Two weeks ago – when we got the mast cell cancer diagnosis – I began giving her K-9 immunity power pack. The tumors on her abdomen have enlarged over the past week. We are TRYING”EVERYTHING”……………………………….to HELP HER!!!!!
Do you have any thoughts or recommendations??? THEY WOULD BE ‘profoundly” appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOD BLESS YOU!!!!!!!
Diane Krzyzanowski
Dr Dressler:
My 11 yr old greyhound has been recently diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. They are unable to surgically remove it do to the location in her lower jaw. Recommendation is radiation which I will know the schedule today of what they think should be done. What about non-conventional medicine, such as turmeric, and artemisinin can they be used together. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
John
My 10 1/2 year old female Black Lab “Fire” was diagnosed with MCT last October after a lump appeared on her left rear leg. Surgery showed it had spread to the nearest lymph node and both the lymph and the tumor were removed in October. She was immediately placed on prednisone and we have since weaned her to 1/2 a pill every other day. There has been no re-occurrance of the MCT, now seven months post-surgery. Fire also has arthritis, and had responded well to Rimadyl prior to the cancer diagnosis. We had to take her off the Rimadyl due to putting her on the Pred, and we subsequently put her on Tramadol for pain. Her arthritis seems to have gotten worse since the surgery, and we are wondering if it would be wise to stop the prednisone treatment and Tramadol, and put her back on the Rimadyl. Is it possible that her cancer could be in remission after seven months without any signs or symptoms of it’s reoccurring?
Hello there,
First of all, thanks so much for this blog.
Second, the back ground. Tabasco is a 6 yr old male boxer. A grade 1 mast cell tumor was located on his testicals sometime in late Feb. or early Mar. On April 17, we completely removed his testicles at which time we got the grading of the tumor. Clean margins with that surgery. A x-ray and ultrasound of his body cavity was also done post surgery when the results came back and he was clear. On May 26, 2009 a second tumor was identified on his left hock and that was removed that day. Came back as grade 2/low MST, dirty margins. I know this is not a great prognosis, but at this point I want to prevent the MST from spreading throughout his body.
The vet recommended applying a bloodroot salve to the excision of the tumor that came back with dirty margins to remove any remaining cancer cells. Do you have any experience with this? What is your opinion? I have found conflicting opinions on the internet. Very positive from pet owners and absolutely horrifying from human use. I’ve seen photos of peoples noses sloughing off.
We did apply it yesterday to the tumor excision site. It seemed to cause pretty severe discomfort for Tabasco so I washed it off about 3 hours before the recommended time. The discomfort lasted even after it was washed off and the site was swollen this morning. I guess that is what you are supposed to see?
Any light you could shed would be greatly appreciated.
Amber & Tabasco
Wow,thank you, thank you, thank you Dr. D & Blog Guest!
Sammy and I, my black schnauzer/lab/chow mix doggy, just left the vet’s office where she confirmed he has a second MCT. Sammy is almost 10 years old, weighs 65 lbs.(the most he’s ever weighed) and had his first mass removed in May. I don’t know if the vet used Benadryl before the surgery, but I will call tomorrow and ask.
The mass was about the size of a lime, if you slice it in half. However, it seemed to become smaller at times and then large again as quickly as the next day, during the month and a half between diagnosis & surgery, because our vet told me it was not urgent. It was diagnosed Stage 3 Mast Cell cancer when the lab results came back, post surgery.
I immediately started searching the internet for information. I found a lot of positive feedback for Holistic treatment. I started Sammy on an all natural, holistic immunity supplement and we are still transitioning to an all natural holistic diet (Innova), started almost three weeks ago. Sammy seemed to be responding well to the changes and his energy levels are back to pre-discovery of the first lump. His coat and appetite are great.
I discovered the second lump a few days ago under his left armpit, as I was giving him one of those all over body scratch/rubs, that dogs seem to crave all the time, or at least my dog does.(smile) The first lump was on his left side, just below the top of his back, about 3/4 of the way down his back from his shoulders.
The information I’ve learned from this site so far, is far beyond the combined information from our vet and my research on the internet.
At today’s visit, our vet recommended visiting an oncologist and starting the new Palladia drug or surgery. Learning that these are not the only options is a prayer swiftly answered!
Sammy’s quality of life is most important to me!
Thanks Again,
Sammy & TaMara
Hello
Not sure if you are still giving out advice, but thought I’d give it a shot. I’d appreciate any you have.
My dog Drew is a 9 year old Golden Retriever recently diagnosed with Mast Cell tumor on her elbow. It has grown quite quickly. Measures about 6x6x8 cm (almost baseball size) and it’s in a very difficult spot to do surgery and almost impossible to get clean margins. Skin grafting would be involved and there is the possibility of losing her leg altogether. This is a risk I am not willing to take for a dog her age. The surgeon/oncologist recommended a course of Pred along with Vinblastine to try to reduce the size to make surgery more successful. I brought up the possibility of using Palladia. They have it in stock, but only used it on a few dogs before and believe you get better, quicker and longer lasting results with the Pred/Vin combo. Just wondering what your thoughts were on that. The tumor has not been biopsied so I know nothing of grade or stage.
Can you please tell me how these two treatments compare as far as effectiveness, side effects, length of treatment, cost, etc. I suppose much of this may be individualized to the dog. We went ahead and put her on cimetidine and I will definitely remember about the Benadryl when it comes time for surgery. Thanks so much.
Laura
I decided to try some alternative treatments prior to chemo and all that. I started Drew on cimetidine and will be adding fish oil and turmeric. The Turmeric I got is a 400 mg. capsule. How many of those would she need in a day? Thanks.
Laura
My 8 year old lab mix Jack has been diagnosed with a grade 2 mast cell tumor. The vet said this was nothing, twice.The initial lump was there a year and was never larger than a bean. He finally realized it was something when other very small lumps popped up and I had a sobbing fit in his office . He removed 5 lumps all very small. I’m seeing an oncologist ASAP , I just want to ask, is there any hope this has not metastisized?
Kim
indeed, there is hope!
Many grade 2 mast cell tumors have not, and will not metastasize at all. You can get more information about expected behavior by finding out the number of mitotic figures per high power field from the pathologist doing the biopsy report. The vet will know what I mean…
Best,
D
Hi Dr. Dressler,
My boxer boy has too many MCT’s to remove at this point and I’ve been digging around for alternatives. We have had several removed and tried chemo but unfortunately they just keep coming back. I was just wondering if retinoids are ever used in treating MCT’s? Something like 5-FU or Panretin (topical retinoids used in humans for skin cancer or Kaposi’s sarcoma)? He is getting supplements (Omega 3 fish oil, quercetin, milk thistle etc) and good food but I would still love to be rid of the lumps … somehow!
Thanks for your help,
Mich
Hi Dr. Dressler. Jack had his appt at the U.G.A. vet school yesterday. The result of their staging process was that Jacks cancer had not spread.They recommended removing all the masses and no chemo. The miotic Index was 6.Tonight JACK VOMITED AND HAD DIARRHEA. He never has this problem. I am so worried. Is it possible that it was the anxiety caused by his exam( he was VERY upset afterwords) or the drugs used for sedation?He was very upset today also( the day after).It also stormed today, which really upsets him. Thanks for all of your help.
My lab has just received her first treatment of lomustine. I have a golden retreiver in the home too. When my lab goes to the bathroom in the back yard, should I be concerned if my golden sniffs the poop? I also have a cat that goes outside during the day, but comes in the house with the dogs at night. Should I be concerned that the cat could bring an infection back with him that could affect my lab?
Hi Dr. D,
I just found a recurrence of a MCT on my 11.5 y.o. Chessie. We had a rather large tumor taken off his chest about 15 months ago. It was grade 3, and was removed with clean margins – no lymph involvement or mets. This new tumor is about the size of my pinky fingernail and is easily recognizable by it’s granular appearance. I’m keeping an eye on it, and it’s not a high growth tumor, but I can only see the surface, of course. It’s on his shoulder.
I’m no stranger to mast cell problems, as I have Mastocytosis myself – it’s very rare in humans. I have it very well controlled with Pepcid, Doxepin and Ketotifen. (So I’m blocked on H1, H2, and H3)There are less than 20,000 cases of this in people in the US.
I wonder if my Ketotifen would be of any value to my beloved canine kid. Not sure if you are familiar with it, but it’s an H1 blocker, with mast cell mediator properties. Would giving him this with Pepcid be of any help in perhaps keeping the MCT where it is, giving him the chance of a longer life?
I can’t find a canine dosage on it, but my dosage is 4mg BID. There is some info on the internet that it has been used for felines with a dosage of 1mg BID.
I don’t think that at his age that another surgery is an option – he didn’t quite come out of the last one the same dog. It set him back a bit and I don’t want to put him thru it, so we are trying to think out of the box without having a million supplements to contend with.
A bit about him: he’s raw fed by the Billinghurst BARF model – no carbs. Just meat, bone, offal and vegies/fruits. Gets a nice variety of all kinds of meats: sardines, tilapia, beef, chicken, turkey, llama, goat, green tripe, lamb, etc. His treats are all protein: chicken feet, whole sardines, bully sticks, tracheas, ligaments, etc. He was a picky kibble eater, but never turns down a BARF meal.
Any advice would be appreciated. He’s such a good boy – we’d like to see him have a good quality life as long as possible.
Hi Dr. Dressler,
What is the general prognosis for a Stage II MCT? I am finding little information on the in-between stages (and early lymph only mets) – just “favorable” for Stage I and “poor” for Stage IV.
We’re going through chemo (vinblastine and prednisone) but I feel like I need to start preparing myself mentally now for the inevitable…
Thanks so much.
Hi Dr D
My rottweiler Jack who I found dumped in the local streets 2 years ago was diagnosed with MCTs. We immediately put him on a Vinblastine, Chlorambucil and Pred treatment for 4 weeks. Post his 4 week examination the vet discovered that the treatment was not working as his lymph in his groin area grew to the size of a tennis ball. We subsequently stopped the Chemo and put him on Masivet which is a generic of the new wonder drug Palladia.
3 days after administering, Masivet, Jacks condition deteriorated even more and his groin area swelled to twice the size of a tennis ball. His underbelly turned totally red and I rushed him to my local vet. oncologist who indicated that the MCT’s were releasing histamines. I was aware of Benadryl and its properties ( thanks to your blog) and suggested this to my vet, in acting as an anti-histamine. My vet’s suggestion was that he was uncertain as to the reaction of the Benadryl to the Masivet and for that reason did not prescribe it to Jack. 2 days ago Jack went into an anaphylactic shock in ICU and much to my disappointment and heartbreak he passed on. I subsequently have changed vets as I currently have another dog who has MCT’s and who is beng treated with radiation and would hate for the same thing to happen to him.
The question I would like to pose to you ( as a second opinion) is as to whether Benadryl can be prescribed with any other drug and secondly was there anything I could have medically to prevent my adopted son “Jack” from his demise
Regards
Mandi
Dr. Dressler
I have a 8.5 year old female yellow lab. She has grade 3 MCTs. The first procedure was done with the vet we used to go to on a regular basis. This vet did a biopsy without doing the needle aspiration first. Once the vet began the biopsy, she found that the mass was attached to the bone and it was beyond her to fully remove. The mass was partially removed for a biopsy. While waiting for the results, the surgery site had become inflamed and eventually infected. I believe that the vet hesitated to recommend a specialist, which elevated the situation.
Once I met with a specialist, I was told that skin around the site had to be removed – it was dead, black skin. This caused an open cavity on my dog’s back leg, with the tumor beneath the open cavity. Amputating the leg was not an option, since the cancer was already affecting her lymph nodes. But, the lymph nodes are not enlarged at this point. We have been working to heal the wound from the outside edges inward. We do bandage changes every day or every other day. Then we had a set back – my dog removed her bandage and got to the wound, upsetting the open site.
At the same time, the MCT on her back leg has been a challenge to control. I have had Georgia on Prednisone from the beginning. We have tried Palladia, but the results were not encouraging and we have discontinued the used of that drug. We have considered other types of chemo, but it is a hard consideration with such an elevated grade of MCTs. We would only be extending her life by a couple of months. She has starting breathing heavily, so we are slowly reducing the Prednisone to eventually take her off the drug.
Now the specialist would like for me to amputate her back leg, because the wound is too difficult to heal. This seems to be the only option that I have. But, I just do not believe that amputation should be a consideration, especially since her time with us is short. The reality is that she may not have enough time on earth to become acclimated to the lifestyle of a 3 legged dog – and then I have put her through more pain than she deserved in her last days.
So my question is this: Is there any suggestions that you have for healing the wound or maintaining the best value of life I can give her while she is with us? Georgia still has a wonderful spirit, making the decision to put her down difficult from my point of view and the specialist’s point of view. We both agree that it is just not time. But I also think she has a personality that will be strong until the last breath. I just want to do what is best for Georgia and her quality of life. Thank you!
Lauren and Georgia Dog
Hi Dr. Dressler,
I have a 16 year old Nova Scotia duck toller that has stage 3 mass cell tumour on his stomach. It was disovered about 6 months ago and we did a biopsy and removed it. It grew back in a few months and ever since we have been just trying to treat the symptoms due to cost and age.
He is currently on benadryl, pepsid, and Prednisone daily. To control his tumour he gets a injection of Kenalog every 2 weeks. This works great for the first week and will almost totally remove the tumour, but after 1 weeks its back again. The vet even tried another type of steriod to see if that would last longer but it didnt work at all and after 1.5 weeks when I took him to the vet he could hardly walk sicne the tumour started to go down his leg.
This kenalog injection works very well, and I am wondering if it is safe to have a weekly injection so he doesnt have to have it get so large the second week.
Look forward to your thoughts.
Ed
Ed, in my opinion weekly injections under most circumstances would be unhealthy. It does depend on the amount used though. You could see if you vet could dilute it down to half strength and perhaps the injections could be given more frequently.
Best,
Dr D
Dr D,
I have an 11 year old rat terrier that had a stage II mast cell tumor removed from his chest mid Oct. Our vet thought he got it all at that time but just over a month later another appeared in the same area (this one a little to the right and into his front right axillary area). Within just a couple weeks this tumor grew to about the size of a lemon. We decided to take him to an oncologist for tx options. She said they could not surgically remove the tumor due to the location (looking at amputation) and the extensive surgery he had for the previous tumor and no radiation due to possible damage to lungs. We decided to go with Vinblastine tx’s (also on dexamethasone, benadryl, pepcid, tramadol). After his 1st tx we started noticing the tumor shrinking and were hopeful we had bought some time with him. He had his 2nd tx Mon. so I was really thinking I’d see good results, well now it is Thurs and not only does it appear bigger but he also seems more uncomfortable. I guess my question is….is there anything we can do that we are not doing to help him or is it too late and he only has days left? I have not noticed any systemic signs of the cancer. His appetite is great, no vomiting or diarrhea. He walks with a limp and has been grunting a lot today and just seems like he can’t get comforable. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Emily
Dear Emily,
you may be able to have your vet enroll your dog in the compassionate use program for masitinib through Dr. Ahn, who is president of AB Sciences. The company is located in New Jersey. Masitinib is a chemo drug that is used in Europe for mast cell tumors but does not yet have FDA approval in the USA. It would be a good option to consider.
Best,
Dr D
Dr. I desperately need some advise. This will be short and to the point. My male sheltie who just turned eleven the same day as we brought him in to the vets with vomiting and bloody stools and loss of weight. From blood tests he had eights times the normal liver enzeyme levels. He was put on medication for three weeks in which he took his medicine, ate only meat, pasta and not a large amount. He came in for his three week checkup which the doctor stated that the liver takes a while to get well for she thought he may have a diseased liver.
He was playing freesbe and seemed back to his old self and was shocked when she told us that some of his levels stayed the same but one actually increased a large amount.
An ultrasound was suggested which we had done by a board certified vet who took a needle biopsy of liver and pancreas which from the ultrasound had a spot on the pancreas but the liver was enlarged.
Sadly the report came back from a cytology lab offsite that all tests pointed in the direction of cancer of the pancreas but not a definite unless a histology report with surgery and that even was 100 percent.
We have both lost our jobs but want to do every thing we can to help our boy.
My question to you is can anything be done with such a rare fatal disease as far as the K-9 Immunity and Transfer Factor I have been reading that has dramatic results in cancer dogs. I am discourged for I haven’t read any blogs about a dog with pancreatic cancer recovering.
We have limited funds and didn’t want to purchase medicine that would do nothing.
I can tell you that I believe in miracles and even though the doctor gave him a couple of weeks to live he looks like a dog who isn’t even sick. He did vomit for the first time two days ago since we brought him in for the first time which really made us sad. The vet who gave him his ultrasound has him on a pain medication to comfort him and help his appetite. He is getting plenty of love and hugs and rubs on his tummy with our fingertips to transfer postive energy. We are also trying but not that successful a mixture of cottage cheese and flaxseed oil to help dissolve the cancer cells. We are giving him lamb and rice(dry dog food) and meat for his diet along with omega oil supplements.
What do you think about the K-9 Immunity Critical Care. Please help my Mcleod.
Continue your passion for animals that this world so desperately needs.
Thanks for everything you do for the God’s gifts(animals) who have no voice,
karen in serverna park md
Karen,
I would like to tell you that I know of a cure for cancer that has spread in the body. The truth is I cannot say that and be honest. The best we hope for using supplements, diet, and the rest is improving lifespan and improving life quality. Rarely we get the “cures”.
Will any supplement, including what you mention, cure your dog? The odds are low. You should use some milk thistle (human doses) and SAM-e (human doses). Give with only a little food, and make sure you run this by your vet first. You could also try the homeopathic carcinosinum but you would need to use a vet with homeopathic know-how:
http://www.holisticvetlist.com/
Get the carcinosinum from France, Germany or Holland if you can as they are superior to the ones made in the USA.
Hope this helps,
Dr D
Dear “Dog Cancer Vet,”
I’d just like to get your opinion on my 8 year-old cockapoo Mandy. We recently learned that she has a Grade 2 MCT on her back right leg. Actually, we had been concerned about the lump on her back leg for a year and a half and we had our vet look at the lump on two different occasions. Both times, he told he he thought it was just a cist and not to worry. So, we trusted his judgement and didn’t worry. Then,a month ago, we noticed another growth underneath on her chest. This time, a different vet at the same clinic aspirated the growth and saw some round cells in the slide. So, per her advice, we had Mandy undergo surgery to remove the growth on her chest and, at the same time, we had the doc remove the lump on the back of her leg.
We got the pathologist’s report on Monday, only to learn that the growth on her chest was just fatty tissue and the lump on the back of her leg is a Grade 2 MCT. Naturally, we were upset…but more so at our vet for not aspirating and detecting the lump almost two years ago! The report also said that the MCT has dirty margins – but they may only be “dirty” because the vet didn’t know he was dealing with a MCT in the first place and he didn’t cut a wide enough margin around the tumor. He only cut 1/2 centimeter instead of 2-3 centimeters.
The report did have some good news – namely, that the mitotic index is less than 5. So, I guess that means we’re dealing with a “low-end” Grade 2.
My wife and I (and the vet) were surprised to hear about the tumor – primarily because Mandy is such a healthy and happy dog, even though she’s had this tumor in her leg for nearly two years.
After talking to the vet (who in turn talked to the oncologist), it seems like our best course of action is to perform another surgery on the leg, in the hope that this time around they will be able to cut more tissue and find clean margins.
However, there is some concern that even if they perform the second surgery, the pathologist won’t be able to determine conclusively if there are “clean margins.” I don’t quite understand why they wouldn’t be able to tell. Do you know why?
Before making Mandy undergo another surgery, we were thinking of having an ultrasound performed on her, to determine if the mast cells have already spread to the spleen and liver. If that’s the case, then there would be no point in going ahead with surgery.
But, if the ultrasound comes back negative and we do the surgery, I think we will go ahead with radiation treamtent on the leg. I really don’t want to put Mandy through that but, like I said, the vet is telling me that even if they get clean margins this time around, it wouldn’t rule out the possibility of some mast cells still being inside her leg.
What would you advise?
William
William
the ultrasound is a good idea. Painless, good information. If the scan is clean a wide excision, as you brought up, is a very good idea. Vaguely 90% of grade 2 mast cell tumors are cured with a wide excision (no radiation). Median survival time of dogs receiving conventional veterinary care with grade 2 mast cell tumors having a mitotic index under five is 70 months. Mandy is 8 years old. 70 months added on to that is 13.5-14 years of age. This is perhaps a year under average life expectancy (as a guess) for a dog like yours, in other words, close to a full life. Bottom line, I would look at these stats and decide whether radiation makes sense for you in the overall analysis of life expectancy and median survival times.
“However, there is some concern that even if they perform the second surgery, the pathologist won’t be able to determine conclusively if there are “clean margins.”” This is due to micrometastasis:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/dog-cancer-what-is-micrometastasis-and-why-do-we-care/
Hope this helps,
Dr D
DR D.
I WOULD LIKE SOME ADVICE ON ORAL NEOPLASENE FOR MY 5 YEAR OLD GOLDEN-MAX.HE HAS A FIROSRCOMA OF THE MUZZLE X8 MO.HE IS DOING VERY WELL-EATING, PLAYING, ACTING NORMAL.WE SEE A VET ONCOLOGIST THAT HAS HIM ON PALLADIA AND RYMADYL 75MG. X2 MONTHS.THE MASS SEEEMS FAIRLY STABLE ACCORDING TO HER, BUT HAS HAD SOME SLIGHT INCREASE FROM 2 WEEKS AGO.I WOULOD LIKE A MORE AGGRESSIVE PLAN.SHE SAID PALLIATIVE RADIATION-BUT I DO NOT HAVE THE $2500 THAT IT WOULD TAKE, AND WITH THIS TYPE OF TUMOR SHE SAID IT PROBABLY WOULD NOT SHRINK BUT WOULD SLOW THE GROWTH.I HAVE HIM ON 5000MG OF FISH OIL, VARIETY OF MUSHROOMS, MULTI VITAMIN,EVO DOG FOOD, AND WOULD LIKE TO START ON EGCG AND LUTEOLIN ROTATED EVERY 2 WEEKS.I KNOW IM NOT SUPPOSE TO MIX THE TWO ACCORDING TO YOUR BOOK(WHICH IS FANTASTIC!).THE ONCOLOGIST IS VERY TRADITIONAL AND I FEEL I HAVE NOTHING TO LOOSE WITH MAX.HE ONLY 5 IN GOOD SHAPE AND HEALTH, OTHER THAN THE FIBROSARCOMA OF HIS NOSE, WHICH DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGN OF METASTIZING TO LUNGS,LIVER, OR LYMPH.I HAVE BEEN READING ABOUT ORAL NEOPLASENE, AND WOOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT USING THE ORAL(DO NOT WANT TO TOUCH THE TOPICAL DO TO LOCATION OF SINUS AND EYES).CAN I USE THE ORAL WITH PALLADIA?OR IF MASS GROWS MORE SHOULD I DROP THE PALLADIA DO TO ITS WEAK OUTCOMES THAT I HAVE BEEN READING ABOUT AND TRY THE ORAL NEOPLASENE.I KNOW YOUR TIME IS VERY VALUABLE AND SHORT WITH SO MANY BLOGS AND E-MAILS, BUT I WOULD TRULY APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE OR COMMENT.THANK YOU FROM ME AND MAX!
Dear Dr. D
I would love to get your opinions on Nonconventional treatment I have a 6 year old American Bull Dog diagnosed with MCT Level 2 she has had 6 Tumor removals and still has several small ones on her. (Face, legs, neck) I did take her to the Oncologist where she went under treatment of Palladia. After several thousand dollars later she still has this cancer we stopped treatment due to the lack of funds. Last month I brought her back to my vet to have several tumors removed ( with a 3 month lapse) and consulted with the Oncologist today, she is stating that we can try Lomustine 60 Mg (1 40 mg, 2 10 Mg) or Vinblastine. and we wont even talk about the cost. I LOVE MY ABBEY. and want to do the best for her she is still young and full of energy. I have searched the Web for ideas and came across Nonconventional Treatment and was wanting your opinion of it.
Thank you so much for a response.
Cindy Dougherty
Dear Cindy,
I am so sorry to hear about this. You may want to consider getting your vet enrolled in the compassionate use program at AB Sciences in New Jersey and access the pre-FDA approval drug masitinib, which has helped it cases like your dog. Next, dogs need help supporting normal apoptosis levels, as well as helping to stabilize mast cell release of histamine:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/mast-cells-and-luteolin-in-cancer-treatment-part-1/
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/apoptosis-and-dog-cancer/
apocaps was designed with luteolin to support normal apoptosis levels.
Consider dietary changes:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/diet-for-dogs-with-mast-cell-tumors/
That should get you started. There is more in the Guide, of course, but that’s a good start.
Best,
Dr D
My Rottweiller/lab cross, Jake, turned 10 in February. That same month, he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his toe as well as a stage one mass on his shoulder (I can’t remember the technical name for the mass, but we were told that it is the kind of cancer that generally does not spread). He had his toe amputated and the mass removed. He has recovered well from the surgeries, but we just found out that he has a mast cell tumour between his toes on his back leg (not the foot that had the toe amputated). The cytologist felt it was a stage one cancer. We’re reluctant to put him through another surgery and can’t really afford to keep undergoing expensive treatments (we’ve already spent $5,000). My vet suggested trying injections of triamcinolone. Would you recommend this? You also mentioned lomustine in your blog. Would this be something we should try in conjunction with the the triamcinolone? I realize that he has reached the life expectancy of a dog of his size, but I would like to give him at least a few more months if possible. The thought of saying goodbye is heartbreaking. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks – Rosanne.
Dear Rosanne,
So sorry to hear about Jake.
options I would consider (under veterinary supervision)
1. Apocaps
2. have your vet contact Dr. Albert Ahn at Ab sciences to see if Jake qualifies for compassionate use of masitinib
3. topical neoplasine
4. diet changes and the tons of other things in the Guide.
Best,
Dr D
Dear Dr. Dressler,
Our 4 year old boxer had a fairly large grade 2 mast cell tumor removed from his lower front leg last year, and clean margins weren’t obtained. Our vet had wanted to go back in shortly after but decided against it when it healed up really well. Now there appears to be a soft, fatty lump above the surgery site. This area also swells up quite large from time to time, but only for a day or so before returning to it’s present state. We’ve gotten another needle biopsy done and are awaiting the results. My question is, since the surgery was 17 months ago, wouldn’t this area be cancer free, and what would cause the occasional swelling? The fatty lump hasn’t grown much in over 2 months, and I’ve read that liposarcoma grows fast, so I’m hoping it is just a lipoma. It doesn’t feel like it’s attached to the muscle either. Thanks, Ray
Dr. Dressler,
My basset hound, Georgie, is 6 years old and just had surgery for 3 mast cell tumors. (one on chest, one near profuse and one on side.) He previously had surgery for one on his chest 2 years ago. He had puppy strangles when we got him and in the past 2 years he has had a swollen muzzle and then a swollen leg which each led to a trip to the emergency clinic. We are childless and are so very blessed with him. He is truly our life. The vet has spoken to an oncologist about starting chemo but quality of life is of the utmost importance so that may not happen. What spice/supplement regimen do you suggest. I just started him on a half tsp of tumeric. Whatever you can suggest will be greatly appreciated- especially other clinics or doctors or trials. We just love him so much.
Many thanks.
Dr. Dressler, Thank You for writing your book. I purchased it in June just after we learned that our Beautiful 5 1/2 yo Golden Josie was diagnosed with grade 3 mast cell cancer.Prior to that she had two surgeries and three tumors removed.One clean margin, one not so clean and one removed with a lymph node.We were not told of the severity of her disease at the time and only after searching on the internet did I realize that Josie was going to die soon.We switched her to a raw/rare food diet along with Transfer Factor and nutritional supplements then we found a holistic vet who performs kinesiology and she added some tinctures and detox drops for her food. It was about 3 weeks into that treatment before I realized that she wasn’t treating her for the cancer and Josies belly got hot and reddish/purple and 5 tumors began growing .She is now on LutiMax and 40mg. pred 2x a day and initially they were shrinking.Sunday night they blew up and two have hardened.She is taking something for liver support &.benadryl.Tomorrow we have an appt with a new Holistic Dr.My husband is against any more surgery and I am running out of time to save Josie from a horrible death.I think it is shameful that people who love their pets should have to waste precious time searching for the info to help their loved one.Why isn’t this information out there? The oncologist told us in June that Josie would be gone in 4 months and we should take her home and enjoy the rest of her life with her.She said we shouldn’t make changes to her diet because in the larger picture it wouldn’t matter.Josies favorite treats are cheddar cheese and vanilla ice cream.The oncologist said that if she enjoys it then give it to her.Those treats would feed the cancer and kill her faster! Well, in hind sight maybe she was right.Josie’s recent flare-up looks bad and after the pred and lutimax I don’t know what else there is to try.Please don’t stop spreading the word about alternative care. Everybody needs to be educated. Thank You again.Donna Walker
Dr.Dressler, It saddens me to report that the evening of August 19th JOSIE lost her battle with cancer. I am beyond sorrow. My heart is full of pain that this world had to loose such a tender soul such as hers.I may never have that deep of a friendship ever again.She was truly THE ULTIMATE GOLDEN GIRL. I’m getting angry now about a country that can’t do better than this for their pets. We all have a responsibility to demand better research and care for what for some is the most significant relationship they will ever have. Josie was not just our house pet.From the beginning as a puppy she didn’t want to be left behind so she would travel with us everywhere.Josie was content to sit in our seat while we “got our hair cut” or “ran into the store for milk etc.She didn’t care where she was going, just take me for a drive.Sometimes we would get her a dish or cone of fresh vanilla ice cream from the dairy farm. When she wasn’t busy watching over the homefront she was either out training at the Hunt Club to hunt and retrieve birds or she was out in the wild hunting and fetching birds. She absolutely loved life. Whatever, whenever, whoever-She Loved Everything and she loved well and Always with a good balanced energy. She just knew how to act or react in any given situation.My Husband and I are sure that she was here before us and came back to be with us and share our lives.I was Blessed beyond words to have the honor to care for Josie for 5 1/2 years. Rest now Josie for you and I will meet again, soon. XOXO Josie’s mommy, Donna Walker
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