Chest Xray Needed Before Surgery

[Guest SusanP]

Zippy's scheduled for surgery to remove a suspected mast cell tumor on Thursday morning. Now the vet has left me a phone message that she wants to do a chest xray before surgery. I don't understand the point of this, and I don't want to ask her first. I know blood testing, urinalysis, stool cultures, abdominal ultrasound and xrays and checking lymphnodes are sometimes suggested--but none of that has been mentioned. Why would I want a chest xray before surgery?

[Burpdog]

I think any time cancer is involved, they like to do a chest xray. I would.

[Guest SusanP]

But why? To see if it's spread? If that's the case, wouldn't an abdominal xray be more useful?

 

They didn't do a chest xray when she had a different kind of (cancerous) tumor removed a year ago. Why this time?

 

(Ok, ok, I confess I am suspicious any time this office finds more ways to charge me--this is where I got the $41 bandage last week...)

[Brooker914]

This is a very common thing to do, as many tumors metastasize to the lungs. I don't think mast cell tumors commonly do, but better safe than sorry. I assume that is what she wants to check. Good luck with everything!

Edited October 14, 2008 by Brooker914

[Guest SusanP]

So if they find it has spread to the lungs, there is no point in doing surgery because it's too late?

 

But with this type of tumor, aren't there other things they would check first before lungs?

Edited October 14, 2008 by SusanP

[Burpdog]

My take on it: once it goes to the lungs, I don't believe there is anything else that can be done. If the lungs are clear at this point, he/she has a good chance no matter what kind of surgery we are talking about.

 

 

[turbotaina]

My take on it: once it goes to the lungs, I don't believe there is anything else that can be done. If the lungs are clear at this point, he/she has a good chance no matter what kind of surgery we are talking about.

 

Yup. When we were trying to figure out what to do with our cancer kitty, the vet x-rayed the lungs first-off. His cancer was fibrosarcoma which can mestastsize to the lungs, but is less likely to do so than osteosarcoma, but we had to be sure so we could know what our options were.

[Guest benson]

I've been away from the forum for awhile due to a move so forgive the stupid questions:

 

How old is your dog? Where is the MCT and how big is it? Is the tumor one of many or just one or two isolated bumps? Is this the first suspected MCT or has she had previous surgeries for the same thing?

 

The reasons why I ask are:

 

My retriever mix, Buttercup, had lots of bumps when I rescued her from the pound. The vet removed two of the lumps for the biopsy. The pathology report came back as MCTs grade II. We couldn't remove all of the tumors because she would look like a patchwork quilt. We couldn't do radiation once again for the sheer number of bumps. We opted to treat her with prednisone. Over the next 3 1/2 years Butter had several surgeries to remove the tumors that were the biggest or most bothersome. Only once did we ask for a chest x-ray. That was last year as she was about to have 3 tumors removed from one of her hind legs. Had the chest x-ray showed something we would not have proceeded with the surgery. But, by that time she had already undergone several surgeries to remove the tumors.

 

eta: Eventually the cancer moved to her liver before her lungs so the chest x-ray wouldn't have shown anything. Butter also developed a large abdominal mass which may or may not have been MCT. We lost her two weeks before we left California in September. We rescued her from the pound 3 1/2 years prior so as the doctor reminded us we gave her 3 1/2 happy years she wouldn't have had before we found her.

Edited October 14, 2008 by benson

[Guest SusanP]

Zippy is 10 and the mass is on her front leg, below the elbow. It is a single tumor the size of half a small walnut maybe, and the vet saw round cells in the aspirate they checked. We don't know for a fact it's cancer, because they messed up the sample they sent to the lab, and I opted not to wait longer, given the odds. Vet feels it's likely a mast cell tumor, but we don't know yet what grade.

 

She is showing no other symptoms, no bloody stools that we know of, no vomiting, etc...She seems fine and frisky.

 

She had a cancerous tumor removed from her groin a year ago, but that was a different type--cartilage tumor growing on muscle.

Edited October 14, 2008 by SusanP

[Guest benson]

If she were my dog I'd skip the x-ray.

[Guest Pipi5]

I think any time cancer is involved, they like to do a chest xray. I would.

My vet always does a chest xray before any surgery where cancer is suspected, even toes. When my greyhound had to have a toe removed, he did a chest xray & took lymph glands out of the same leg to be on the safe side. If she was mine, I'd have the xrays done.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Pipi5

[Hubcitypam]

Bucks was on his toe and my vet didn't do x-rays. Maybe they want to do it because she has had cancer before.

[Guest paulamariez]

Sending prayers for a good outcome for your sweet Zippy.

[HopeForHounds]

Foxy did not have an x-ray before the surgery. Many things suggest it is a similar type of tumor, and they have a very low rate of metastisizing. We did blood tests prior but nothing else.

[tbhounds]

They perform pre-surgical radiographs for 2 reasons--one to make sure the lungs are clear of mets (usually 3 views are needed for that) and second to make sure the heart and lungs look healthy. I personally would not proceed w/o the rads. If you really want to play by the book an abdominal ultrasound would be beneficial. Also, the mass doesn't sound like a MCT to me. Most DVM's are pretty comfortable identifying MCT from an aspirate---round cells found on legs could be a hemangiopericytoma. Both of those tumors need wide excisions which are tough to get on legs. I would expect a large incision site but, don't worry the big ones heal just as fast as the large ones---wounds heal side to side not from end to end. Best of luck--keep us informed!!