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Round Cell Tumour


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I was just wondering if anyone could help me with some information I've been given by my vet. As usual it was only after putting the phone down and reading some more information on the internet that I've confused myself further.

 

Charlie is 7 and has a small red lump (about 1.5 cm). It started as a small red patch and then seemed to suddenly change into a raised lump. I took Charlie to the vet and they suggested it was most likely a reaction to something at home like washing powder.

 

Two weeks later the lump had become ulcerated so I took him back and this time they took a sample and have phoned me with the results today. They said that it was a round cell tumour but they weren't certain what type, one of the possibilities was a histiocytoma and the other was something I can't remember - I should have written it down. The vet suggested that it wasn't any of the worse diagnoses we'd spoken about (e.g. mast cell tumour).

 

The vet suggested that we should go ahead and have the lump removed due to the ulceration however since my appointment a week ago it seems to be healing up a bit. I'm fine with going ahead with surgery but just wondered if I should be waiting longer to give it a chance to go away by itself. Although even if the ulceration goes away I'm assuming the lump may well still be there.

 

What I'm a little unclear on is that if the only information they have is that it is a round cell tumour, this covers multiple possibilities - but if what I've understood is correct they have narrowed it down to one of two possibilities.

 

Is it still wise to have this removed as soon as possible? I know this isn't helped by my confusion and the fact that I've provided limited information and it might not be straightforward but any thoughts would be much appreciated.

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I think you want to remove it. If it goes away by itself, is that really going to be good news? Or is there going to be a fear that it's just changed into something that's less alarming-looking?

 

I'd want it removed and checked in an effort to get a definitive answer about what it is.

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Daisy had a little growth on her leg that just started bleeding and didn't stop for weeks. Multiple vets told me they couldn't tell me what it was but that it should come off. I scheduled the surgery and, wouldn't you know it, it started to heal up. We went ahead with the surgery and it was diagnosed as hemangiosarcoma. I'd go ahead with the surgery if you can - at the very least you'll then be able to send it off for full pathology and find out what it actually is.

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Guest MnMDogs

I think they should be able to tell you what kind of tumor it is. We recently had Greg in for a mass on his toe about the size of a pea. It was red and started bleeding one day (after he had it for maybe 3-4 weeks). The vet took a biopsy and I think right there she was able to tell that it wasn't a mast cell tumor. It was sent out and determined to by histiocytoma.

 

Vet recommended watch and wait and now it's gone less than 2 months later. Also, I may be totally wrong, but I thought mast cells release histamines and can grow if poked/prodded?

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do, but I would first try find out what specifically the tumor is.

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Yes, mast cell can release histamines. My oldest cat has it, he takes cyproheptadine every 48 hrs for it.

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Round cell can be various tumors--the first one this one sounds like is a histiocytoma -those guys can pop up acutely, become red raised and sometimes itchy-they can also resolve on their own just as quickly. Histio's are usually easy to identify on cytology (they look a lot like mast cell tumors). To be honest I would give this a bit more time to see if it resolves-rarely they don't but, typically they get worse before they get better. One day you will look at it will be significantly reduced.

Other round cell tumors are a bit more sinister but, many are curative with surgery alone.

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I think you want to remove it. If it goes away by itself, is that really going to be good news? Or is there going to be a fear that it's just changed into something that's less alarming-looking?

 

I'd want it removed and checked in an effort to get a definitive answer about what it is.

 

My understanding was that if it's a histiocytoma then it would just go away by itself and that would be the end of it.

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My understanding was that if it's a histiocytoma then it would just go away by itself and that would be the end of it.

Yes, if that's what it is. But if something just disappears, is that the same as knowing it was a histiocytoma?

 

Hate to be all negative, but I just lost my best girl in October to hemangiosarcoma that started with a goofy lump on her rib cage, so right now I'm a "Get it off!" person.

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Kathy and Q (CRT Qadeer from Fuzzy's Cannon and CRT Bonnie) and
Jane (WW's Aunt Jane from Trent Lee and Aunt M); photos to come.

Missing Silver (5.19.2005-10.27.2016), Tigger (4.5.2007-3.18.2016),
darling Sam (5.10.2000-8.8.2013), Jacey-Kasey (5.19.2003-8.22.2011), and Oreo (1997-3.30.2006)

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Yes, if that's what it is. But if something just disappears, is that the same as knowing it was a histiocytoma?

 

Hate to be all negative, but I just lost my best girl in October to hemangiosarcoma that started with a goofy lump on her rib cage, so right now I'm a "Get it off!" person.

They typically have much different characteristics between the two of them. Believe me-I feel that the best place to for lumps and bumps are in the trash but, honestly I would wait on this one. MattB-sometimes histiocytoma's will get pretty ugly before they get better. If it doesn't resolve in a weeks time have it rechecked and possibly re-aspirated. Where is the lump located? Ear, leg?
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Thanks all for your thoughts. I've had another conversation with the vet - I've got Charlie booked in for surgery next Friday but in the meantime the vet suggested cancelling if it looks like it has reduced in size significantly by the time that the date comes around. I'm reasonably happy with that I think.

 

The lump is located about 6 inches behind the front left leg on Charlie's side.

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Thanks all for your thoughts. I've had another conversation with the vet - I've got Charlie booked in for surgery next Friday but in the meantime the vet suggested cancelling if it looks like it has reduced in size significantly by the time that the date comes around. I'm reasonably happy with that I think.

 

The lump is located about 6 inches behind the front left leg on Charlie's side.

Sounds like a reasonable plan. Fwiw-histio's and mast cell tumors are frequently found on limbs-not often on the flanks. Edited by tbhounds
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  • 4 weeks later...

Just an update, by the time Charlie's surgery came around the lump had nearly gone, today there is nothing there at all other than a small bald patch. The vet thought it was best to leave alone so I went with his advice.

 

It had persisted for some time, I know these things are capable of remitting quite quickly but I was pretty remarkable how fast it shrank. The vet thinks it may have been infected. I did start spraying it with a product called 'purple spray' which I'd mistakenly bought instead of anticeptic, this ended up being a mixture of essential oils in water which claimed healing properties. Who knows if it had an effect but we are now 'without lump' so we're happy!

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice.

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Guessing it probably was a histiocytoma then.

 

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I think you made the right decision if it was indeed a histiocytoma (and it sounds like it was). I do not have anything like extensive experience with this, but Twiggy got one on a toe of her only remaining front leg about 9 months after her amp for osteo. In a total panic, I rushed her in to see her oncologist, he looked at it, aspirated it, examined the cells and was extremely confident it was histiocytoma.

 

He told me that typically once a histiocytoma is "messed with" (yes, his terms) via a needle aspirate, they tend to resolve on their own quite quickly. This was a good four+ years ago, and it has never returned.

 

Scared me half to death, as it did you (and if you googled histiocytoma without adding "canine", it probably scared you even more!!), but my own experiences and everything I've been told by vets makes me believe that Charlie should continue to heal up beautifully.

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