Sophie Has A Lump

[Guest LindsaySF]

Hi all,

 

I haven't had time for GT in the past few months. I've been very busy with dogs and adoption group stuff as well as some family issues. Nice to "see" you all again.

 

I had Sophie the perma-foster (old threads here and here) in to the vet last week to get a lump on her thigh checked out. The vet thinks it's cancer. The pathologist thinks hemangiopericytoma based on looking at some cells under the microscope. Does anyone here have any experience with this cancer?

 

She is scheduled to have the lump removed on Thursday and sent off for biopsy. I am super nervous about the whole thing, as I always worry about stressing her into seizures. But I consulted with her neurologist and he says it's safe for her to get anesthesia, and he's also done chemo on dogs like her too. (She's on Phenobarbital, KBr, Zonisamide, and Keppra, and still averages 1-3 grand mal seizures per month).

 

Thanks in advance for any advice. We'll take prayers and good thoughts too!

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

Edited April 24, 2012 by LindsaySF

[sabrina]

Sorry no experience but I have my paws crossed for you Sophie

[3DogNite]

my understanding is that if the hemangiopericytoma is surgically removed with wide margins, no other treatment is needed --

I hope this is true for Sophie

good luck!!!

[sweetdogs]

My Faolin had 2 of these a few years apart, one on the outside of his thigh (maybe 3/4"), one just above his wrist (less than 1/2"). The first wasn't removed with clean margins & more surgery was recommended. I decided to wait until it came back, but it never did. The second we removed right away because of the location (not much flesh there). Also never returned. I never did anything else for him but I think there is an injection of something that OSU recommends. Hopefully someone will pipe up with it.

 

So I hope Sophie's surgery is similarly successful.

[Houndtime]

Good thought for Sophie. Thanks for taking such good care of her.

[GreyPoopon]

 

My seizure dog Minnie made it through an emergency dental in February without issue (well, except for an IBD flareup, but that's another story).

[RaineysMom]

no advice but sending your sweet Sophie many prayers. :hope

[Guest Roadtripper]

Hi. I'm trying to learn more about this, too. My grey/shep mix, Boojum, actually had surgery 1 month ago today to remove a large-ish tumor on his side & the biopsy came back as a hemangiopericytoma. The vet told me he wasn't able to get clean margins, but it was encapsulated. He said that Booj may grow another tumor in that area & I'd just have to watch it, but that this type of cancer very rarely spreads. He said chemo wasn't an option for this type of cancer, and he wasn't sure about radiation--he'd have to consult with an oncologist--but radiation would involve going to Colorado & cost $15,000 - $30,000, which just isn't feasible.

 

So the vet isn't doing any follow-up treatment. I had felt very relieved & hopeful when he first told me about hemangiopericytomas, as it didn't seem nearly as bad as other cancers. But I can't help but wonder if I should be doing something more for Boojum, so I hope others with more experience can offer advice.

 

One thing is that I have had Boojum on turmeric pills since last October because he had a benign cyst on his back, and I had read on some other sites about turmeric helping with cysts & tumors. I don't know if the turmeric helped contain the hemangiopericytoma tumor or not, but I will be continuing this treatment, as it is also helping with his hind end stiffness. Turmeric is a blood thinner, so you wouldn't want to try it until after surgery, & I don't know how it may interact with seizure meds if she's taking those, but I am a big believer in turmeric (I take it as well).

 

Boojum has recovered incredibly well & has become more spirited & active, which I am very grateful to see. As I'm typing this he's running around the yard barking like mad because the evil mailman just showed up. I love it!

 

Thank you for starting this thread. I'm sending good thoughts for your girl that she'll have a quick & complete recovery!

Best wishes,

Amy

[Meandmy]

Shadow had a hemangiopericytoma. It came up fast and grew rapidly. When the vet removed it he couldn't get completely clean margins as it grew close to his leg bone. Because of that the vet said it might come back, but it never did. Once he healed he was 100% good-as-new

[HopeForHounds]

Foxy my hound who eventually led me to start Hope for Hounds had a tumor removed 4 months before her 10th birthday. I remember clearly how devastated I felt when the vet told us it was hemangiopericytoma. I immediately did an internet search, and that ultimately led me here to GT. Foxy's pathology report told us there were not clear margins and that the tumor had a 70% chance or recurring.

 

Foxy lived until she was almost 14, or 4 years almost to the day of her surgery. No recurrence!

 

In the years following the start of Hope for Hounds, Dr Couto and I discussed treatment options should she grow a new tumor. One treatment they had developed involved using sterile sesame seed oil mixed with a chemo drug. It is injected into the tumor site after the incision has healed.

 

Lindsay, I would contact OSU and ask about this.

 

Amy, I would have your vet email to ask about how to go about doing that treatment. Since Boojum isn't a greyhound I imagine you would have to pay for a consult, but it might be worth the cost to find out.

Edited April 24, 2012 by foxysmom

[Rickiesmom]

FWIW, if one of my hounds had this and the surgeon didn't get clean margins I would look into the OSU chemo treatment.

 

My whippet Rickie had this type of tumour removed from his hind leg in 2009 - margins were not clean. It came back almost exactly one year later. I was checking the site frequently and found it while it was still very small, took him to a specialist clinic and a very good surgeon got clean margins, though it took a very aggressive surgery to achieve that. The good news is that it hasn't returned again.

[MP_the4pack]

Oh Lindsay, as if you haven't had enough already!

 

I hope she makes it thru surgery ok and margins are clean. From what others have posted it sounds like the type of cancer to get if they were going to get it.

 

Fingers and paws crossed here!

[mychip1]

Sounds like the tumor EZ had removed back in 2008. He is now almost 12. They told me that the chance for spreading was minimal and same-site recurrance, moderate. It looks like he may have it coming back now after four years - but the area is growing much more slowly than it did last time. We could biopsy, but given his advanced age, a heart issue, and the rate or frowth that this has, we are simply leaving it alone unless there is a dramatic change.

 

Best wishes for Sophie!

[FiveRoooooers]

We will be thinking of you and Sophie.

[tbhounds]

my understanding is that if the hemangiopericytoma is surgically removed with wide margins, no other treatment is needed --

I hope this is true for Sophie

good luck!!!

Tis true-- these tumors may have local recurrence but, rarely met. Depending on the location clean margins may not be obtainable-- however, there are options if surgical excision is not possible. Dr Couto uses 5Fu (5 Fluorouracil)-- it's mixed with medical grade sesame oil and injected into the site.

With the history of seizures I would question how they are going to induce anesthesia -- ketamine is usually not recommended for a hound known to have a history of seizures..

Keep us posted!!!

[Guest goofydog]

Here is the link to my resent post about Get Em's diagnosis of hemangiopericytoma. I hope it helps shed some light

 

ttp://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/280518-wait-time-between-submitting-a-consult-request/page__view__findpost__p__5109040__hl__hemangiopericytoma__fromsearch__1

 

I have opted to wait and see if the tumor reappears. At 10 years old I'll be happy with another 118 months if/when it reappears and malignancy might be confirmed. He has had a variety of health challenges through the years and has weathered them well.

 

Toni and The Pirate

[MaryJane]

I can't offer any help on the cancer but, Lucy is a seizure dog and she had to have a dental extraction on a tooth that was broken - I was planning for this spring but she got hit by the muzzle from another dog and it got infected and we had to do "emergency tooth extraction". She got through it fine but, my vet was great in that they started to put her under while I was there holding her and it took about 20 minutes before she started to "fall asleep" so it kept any uneasiness on her part to a minimum.

 

One thing I did do was make sure that I got the Amicar because dental surgery can be bloody and I wanted to make sure that I kept any medical complications to a minimum with Lucy because of her seizure history. You might want to check whether you need it in your case.

[Batmom]

No advice, just best thoughts for your girl.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Thank you everyone for the advice!

 

I talked to Sophie's neurologist again and he agreed with the plan our regular vet has put in place.

 

The tumor is on her left thigh, a little above the knee. I asked if they would need to cut into the muscle tissue (Sophie can't spare any, she has hind-end weakness from her meds), and the vet said no.

 

She had 2 seizures this morning. So she's on increased meds for the next 2 days. They are also going to sedate her tomorrow so she is less stressed by being at the vet. She'll be pretty out of it, but as long as she remains seizure-free that's workable until she can come home.

 

I guess we'll just cross our fingers and hope tomorrow's surgery is successful and has clean margins. If not, then I will ask about chemo options. I'm more worried about the stress of surgery than anything else.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

Edited April 25, 2012 by LindsaySF

[maryz]

I'll keep your girl in my thoughts and prayers.

[HopeForHounds]

I'll be thinking of you and Sophie tomorrow.

[Batmom]

Good luck, pretty girl!

[tbhounds]

Will be thinking of ya! Keep us posted!!

Edited cause of that bloody autocorrect!

Edited April 26, 2012 by tbhounds

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Thinking of Sophie today and hoping for a safe procedure and clean margins.

[rascalsmom]

My girl, Rascal, had hemangiopericytoma....it was diagnosed in May 2009, when she was just over 10 years old. Hers was in the 'armpit' area of her front leg--partly on the upper part of her leg. She had surgery, and the vet told me then that it was likely to come back, as this was something that was 'like tendrils' and therefore very hard to get all of it. She also told me that usually, a second surgery is NOT indicated. Rascal did really well. About 1.5 years later, I noticed the lump coming back.

 

The second time the lump was really more of a lump--the first time it was manifested by a big fluid filled thing--the vet drained it, then felt nodules....and that led to the surgery. We basically just kept an eye on it, since Rascal was still feeling good, playful, etc....as playful as an 11+ year old greyhound is, anyway .

 

By late November of 2011, the lump was huge, and had started ulcerating....Rascal was licking at it a lot, as though she just *couldn't* leave it alone. She went to the Bridge on December 1, 2011.

 

The vet did tell me that it was unusual for a dog to get 2+ years after the surgery, with that type of cancer.