Pathology Is Back - Fibrosarcoma

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Here was the original thread gingival hyperplasia

 

Our 9-year old boy Kebo had a pea-sized nodule removed from his gumline in November. It regrew to the size of a grape and last week we went to Virginia Tech where they did a CT scan of his nose/face and did a hemimaxillectomy to remove the lesion and the bone it had invaded. We were given the option of biopsy before surgical excision but the lesion was so large that it impaired his ability to eat. He was clearly uncomfortable. We opted to have it taken off without biopsy. He tolerated the surgery well and he was back home on postoperative day 2. He is eating, drinking, and pooping. The facial deformity is not as bad as we expected. So far so good.

 

So today the resident at VT who was assigned to his case called with the pathology result. It is fibrosarcoma. They did not get clean margins. She discussed the case with an oncologist at NC State (they do not have oncology at VT) and options include repeat resection to get clean margins, oral chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. We have an appointment with our regular vet tomorrow morning for a wound check at which time I will ask that all of his studies be sent to the team at OSU for review.

 

So...anyone have experience with fibrosarcoma or oral tumors?

[tbhounds]

Ack--Fibrosarcoma is bad news. I see your in Virginia--personally, I wouldn't fool around with this and cut to the chase and take your boy to Ohio State. It really shouldn't be that long of a drive--I live in NJ and it takes me 8 hours and I know many others that have driven much further. If you decide to go p.m. me and I can give you hotel names etc.. Also if you p.m. Jane--joejoesmom she will be able to help you--prehaps she can even help find lodging with a local.

[sabrina]

No advice for you as I am sure you will do what is best for your boy as you know him best. Just wishing him & &

[Guest mcsheltie]

Marley had a fibrosarcoma in the roof of his mouth. They couldn't come close to clean margins. They hit it afterward with as much radiation as is possible, in the shortest time frame. A year later they said they thought they had beat it. But six months later (18 months after the surgery) it came back. I let him go two years after. But we got two good years!

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Ack--Fibrosarcoma is bad news. I see your in Virginia--personally, I wouldn't fool around with this and cut to the chase and take your boy to Ohio State. It really shouldn't be that long of a drive--I live in NJ and it takes me 8 hours and I know many others that have driven much further. If you decide to go p.m. me and I can give you hotel names etc.. Also if you p.m. Jane--joejoesmom she will be able to help you--prehaps she can even help find lodging with a local.

 

Thanks. Going directly to OSU is definitely in the front of our minds. We would drive to the ends of the earth for any one of our dogs. The curveball is that Kebo does not tolerate travel very well. It takes pretty big doses of xanax just to get him in the car. What we would want to do is to streamline visits and treatments into as few trips as possible to avoid stressing him out too much.

 

Marley had a fibrosarcoma in the roof of his mouth. They couldn't come close to clean margins. They hit it afterward with as much radiation as is possible, in the shortest time frame. A year later they said they thought they had beat it. But six months later (18 months after the surgery) it came back. I let him go two years after. But we got two good years!

 

Thanks.

[Guest mcsheltie]

I don't think OSU is any better than any other good oncology department for this. Unless they have programs to help cover the costs.

[Guest 2dogs4cats]

I am so sorry. My boy has this also. The surgeon thinks he got clean margins, but only time will tell if it will come back or not. I saw a previous thread on this and timeframe varies widely. Unfortunately, there is no right answer.

[tbhounds]

I don't think OSU is any better than any other good oncology department for this. Unless they have programs to help cover the costs.

Actually I was thinking of the cost--OSU is so reasonable (well compared to here in NJ)and if she was going to consult with Dr Couto anyway. Doesn't sound like it's Kebo's cup of tea anyway--your pup's got to like the car if you're going to travel that far.

[JJNg]

Sorry to hear about Kebo's diagnosis. Every case is different, but in general, fibrosarcoma is a cancer that tends to be locally aggressive but have a fairly low rate of metastasis. If complete excision with wide margins is possible based on the location, that is usually the best option and gives you a fairly good chance at a cure with no further treatment needed at all. Maxillectomies are aggressive surgeries, and I know it may be hard to think about doing it again to get better margins, but if the surgeons feel like that may be a good option for Kebo, that may be your best bet. Both chemo and radiation may help, but in general, I believe fibrosarcomas tend to be more responsive to radiation than chemo. Sending good thoughts to both you and Kebo.

[Guest Stripeyfan]

Oh no, I'm so sorry to read this diagnosis. Sending good thoughts!

[Guest mcsheltie]

I believe fibrosarcomas tend to be more responsive to radiation than chemo.

This is what I was told.

 

There is a chemo class drug that helps radiation work better. But I don't have access to the notes here. Ask your oncologist when you discuss treatment.

[Guest greytkidsmom]

I don't think OSU is any better than any other good oncology department for this. Unless they have programs to help cover the costs.

Actually I was thinking of the cost--OSU is so reasonable (well compared to here in NJ)and if she was going to consult with Dr Couto anyway. Doesn't sound like it's Kebo's cup of tea anyway--your pup's got to like the car if you're going to travel that far.

 

McSheltie - you may be right. I have heard positive feedback about NC State and they are the closest center with an oncology department (2.5 hours). The other "patients" that need treatment are my husband and myself. My husband is taking all of this very much to heart and he sees OSU as the place to go because of their work with greyhounds. We have to be at peace that we know all of the options available and OSU's opinion will be an important one whether we end up there or not.

 

TBHounds - As far as drives go, whether it is 2 minutes or 2 hours the trip is just as stressful - we just want to minimize the number of trips or know in advance how many trips are necessary. If they are going to be frequent, it may influence our decision about his treatment plan.

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Sorry to hear about Kebo's diagnosis. Every case is different, but in general, fibrosarcoma is a cancer that tends to be locally aggressive but have a fairly low rate of metastasis. If complete excision with wide margins is possible based on the location, that is usually the best option and gives you a fairly good chance at a cure with no further treatment needed at all. Maxillectomies are aggressive surgeries, and I know it may be hard to think about doing it again to get better margins, but if the surgeons feel like that may be a good option for Kebo, that may be your best bet. Both chemo and radiation may help, but in general, I believe fibrosarcomas tend to be more responsive to radiation than chemo. Sending good thoughts to both you and Kebo.

 

I have read this. There was one study that compared maxillectomy with radiation vs maxillectomy alone and radiation with the type of tumor that Kebo seems to have did not extend survival time. The thing that I am having a hard time with is if it does recur locally we will be faced with some very difficult decisions. Repeating the surgery to get clean margins may be the right treatment for him. I am just going to have to collect some data and talk to some folks (quickly) in order to wrap my head around all of this.

[MP_the4pack]

Pearl had Fibro of the spleen and liver. She did have a snowball's chance in he77.

 

I hope the maxilary version has a better prognosis. Pearl lasted 3 weeks after her splenectomy.

[EllenEveBaz]

No experience; so sending many, many

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Back from the vet this morning. Kebo charmed all of the ladies as usual. The wound has two small places where it has started to dehisce. That will have to heal before any radiation can be started. From what she has been told, radiation therapy would consist of daily treatments for about 4 weeks. For starters, she is going to send his file to both NC State and to Ohio State for review. We will regroup once their recommendations are available to us. Thank you all for your experiences, your advice, and your moral support.

[Guest mcsheltie]

That is close to what we did with Marley. He had treatments five days a week and I brought him home on the weekends. The closest radiation center was three hours away. So the tech took him home at night. I picked him up Friday night and brought him back Monday morning.

 

They did put in a gastrostomy tube. Radiation didn't affect his appetite, but the roof of his mouth was too sore.

 

If they can get clean margins and do radiation perhaps you can lick this. At one year our vets thought they had even with dirty margins. Good luck! Please send updates!!!

[Charlies_Dad]

No experience with this thankfully. Just sending good thought for Kebo, you and your husband. I hope no where you go, you get good treatment and that Kebo will be around for a long time to come!

[seeh2o]

My friend's husband had a 13 year old Border Collie w/some sort of mouth cancer. They removed the tumor, did radiation and used some sort of vaccine. It wasn't cheap, but it kept him cancer free for about 12 more months. I believe what he had was called oral melanoma and it was very aggressive. The vaccine was a 6 shot series. If this seems applicable and want more information, please PM me and I'll contact my friend's husband for more details, name of the vaccine, etc.

[JJNg]

I believe what he had was called oral melanoma and it was very aggressive. The vaccine was a 6 shot series.

The only vaccine for cancer in dogs is specifically for melanoma. It's a fairly new development with some exciting and promising results, but unfortunately doesn't apply to any other type of cancer.

[Guest bluefawn]

Sending healing thoughts and prayers your way. I admire your love and perseverance in healing for Kebo. I would do the same - our babies are our family.

[seeh2o]

I believe what he had was called oral melanoma and it was very aggressive. The vaccine was a 6 shot series.

The only vaccine for cancer in dogs is specifically for melanoma. It's a fairly new development with some exciting and promising results, but unfortunately doesn't apply to any other type of cancer.

I'm sorry to learn that. I had hoped it might translate to other mouth cancers. Thanks for the info.

Edited February 25, 2011 by seeh2o

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Have heard from NC State - options include repeating the CT Scan followed by surgical resection to clean margins (if anatomically possible) or radiation therapy which would be 19 treatments. He would not need radiation if they could get all of the tumor out. Waiting to hear from OSU. I don't anticipate them having any different information but it would be nice to hear it from two different sources. In the meantime, our boy is here and we get to love on him as much as he will let us.

[Guest vahoundlover]

You guys will make the best decision for Kebo. This just really bites, I'm sorry Laura

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Well we got Kebo's scans and slides sent to OSU for review and heard back from them today. They concur with the diagnosis and recommend another surgery or radiation with chemotherapy. We have an appointment with the oncologist at NC State on Thursday morning. I'm not sure if they would keep him or have us come back for treatment. In any event, we'll have a plan.