Guest lynne893 Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Hi friends, Greta, our 9 1/2 year-old grey, presented with a lump on her right side, seemingly coming from under her rib cage Wednesday morning. It was soft to the touch, not squishy, but not too firm. Maybe 3-4" in diameter. Off to the vet we went! They took an aspiration and the vet was pretty confident it was just going to be a fatty tumor but the lab came back "spindle cell proliferation with mixed inflammation." I understand the next step is a biopsy to determine if it's benign or a sarcoma and a chest xray to see location, size, etc. They said the biopsy could be tough because of the location under the ribs, but the vet said Greta's so chill she thinks she could do it with vallium and local anesthesia. She said that she believes it needs to come out regardless because even if benign it could grow into her ribs or push on them and cause them to crack. We're really torn. We're not in a great position to spend thousands on surgery, and philosophically, we don't want to put an older dog through that. But if the cost isn't too crazy and we do the surgery, does anyone have experience with good survival after that? Also, will the surgery be umpteen times more difficult because of accessing under the rib cage? Thanks for your experience, insight, support.... Lynne, Joel, Stella and dear Greta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lynne893 Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 And also, What does the "mixed inflammation" mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 I had a lump on one of mine come back like that. It was accessible right above her eye - a lump that just came up out of nowhere - and with that FNA result, we decided to have it removed. It turned out to be nothing more than a really bad bruise, and we didn't need to put her through surgery at all. Same for a lump on my boy's side - looked like a huge tumor growing on his ribs - just a bad contusion from playing rough. I would contact Dr Couto and see what he has to say. http://www.coutovetconsultants.com/for-ownersadopters/ Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeForHounds Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Doing a biopsy gives you information you need, however since it most likely needs to come off I would have it removed and send the lump for diagnosis. That way, you have saved a step and the fee for just the biopsy. Foxy, my reason to start Hope for Hounds, had a lump similar come up suddenly on her elbow. Our initial test came back pretty much the same as yours. Rather than biopsy we had the damn thing removed. Saved money that we might have needed for further treatment. Foxy's tumor was a Hemangiopericytoma. One of the least likely to metastasize. She was almost 10 when we did her surgery, and died without recurrence at age 13 and 8 months. If you choose the surgery route, insist on Amicar. Don't hesitate to ask for Dr Couto's help coutovetconsultants@gmail.com PM me is we can help you in any way. Quote Casual Bling & Hope for HoundsJanet & the hounds Maggie and Allen Missing my baby girl Peanut, old soul Jake, quirky Jet, Mama Grandy and my old Diva Miz Foxy; my angel, my inspiration. You all brought so much into my light, and taught me so much about the power of love, you are with me always.If you get the chance to sit it out or dance.......... I hope you dance! Missing our littlest girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 My boy had a spindle cell sarcoma tumor on his leg. The oncologist explained to me that spindle cell is a type of fibrosarcoma (in other words, cancer of the connective tissue). The good thing about fibrosarcs is that they are generally localized. If you remove the tumor and get clean edges, it *can* be a one-and-done thing. The downside is that they can be tricky. It's hard to determine what exactly constitutes "clean edges." I've heard of ones where the tumor comes back almost immediately. Others come back months to years later, and some don't come back at all. Fibrosarcs can also be elusive and take on the characteristics of other types of cancer. In Henry's case, the spindle cell basically mimicked osteosarcoma and had eaten holes through his bone. The only way we could ensure clean edges was to remove the entire leg. We had good results (almost two years post diagnosis) because fortunately, dogs come with spare legs. I can't speculate about how easy or hard it would be to remove a spindle cell tumor in Greta's location. If the lungs are clear, I'd probably go ahead and have it surgically removed. Then let the pathology determine how you proceed if/when it comes back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lynne893 Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Thank you all, very much. Will keep you posted as to what course we take and how Greta's doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lynne893 Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Update: husband took Greta to vet today for xray before proceeding w biopsy. Lungs clear. But they couldn't see or find the tumor! The swelling that was so apparent a week ago is lessened and the vet speculated that the cells they aspirated were possibly from a cyst and that the aspiration may have drained it (at least in part). I've got a call to speak w the vet tomorrow so I can ask my zillion questions. Anyone have experience with a cyst presenting like a spindle cell situation? Could it still be cancerous? Could it be bad if the cyst broke open inside of her and cells are circulating? Ughhh. Can't wait to get on the phone w the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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