It is fibrosarcoma. Hand holding please

[Rhubarbgarden]

Biopsy result has come back and it is as suspected - fibrosarcoma. Prognosis is grim. I've asked for a referral to a specialist and she has an appointment for Monday morning at the oncology department at the nearest centre for this.

I've held it together all afternoon because of the dcs, but the minute they go to bed I'll be falling apart.

Ach. So sorry.

What has the vet recommended ?

Vet is leaving it to the oncologist. But from what I've read, looks like radical surgery with as wide a margin as possible (difficult because it's close to her spinal cord) then perhaps chemo. But as I understand it, cat chemo can't cure because it's so mild, it can only slow down the cancer to extend life.

I can't believe I'm going to lose my baby, who is so full of life and has no idea there's anything wrong with her. We've been through such a lot together, I've known/owned many cats and I've never had such a close bond as I have with Nutter.

Let us know how you get on on Monday morning. Very difficult for you so take care of yourself as well as her.

Different cancer so obviously outcomes and what have you will all be different.

But my cat has been on chemo for 3 years and she's fine, I mean she's not in that obviously she still has cancer and at some point it will cause her problems again, but eating drinking, playing and happy fine. I fact I think it's coming up 4 years now.

How is her chemo delivered, tabulah ?

2 tablets once a fortnight alongside a steroid tablet every other day.

She does have to have a blood test every 3 months or so, which is a bit more stressful for her, but she's not one of those cats that's completely traumatized by a vet visit, just a bit annoyed, lol.

Tabulahrasa thank you so much for that. You've given me some hope.

Very sorry Rhubarb

The specialist will give you the information you need, to decide what to do

Good luck for monday

:( so sorry

Sorry about your cat's diagnosis. Fingers crossed the oncologist will have some options.

How did the appointment go yesterday?

Hi Cozietoesie, she had surgery a week ago; a specialist soft tissue surgeon removed the mass plus a 5cm margin. She has been recovering there with round the clock care and constant sedation to give the sutures chance to heal. They stopped sedating her today and we are finally bringing her home tomorrow!

I've missed her so much, I can't wait to see her. She'll be on cage rest (got to buy a crate tomorrow morning) for a week at least, which will be tough for her, but at least she'll be here.

Her surgeon is confident they removed everything they needed to remove, so all we can do now is keep our fingers crossed it doesn't come back, or doesn't come back for a long time.

Thanks for all the support, it has been a very difficult couple of weeks. I am immensely grateful for the advice received on MN!

Sorry - I lost a whole week there.

Good that she's recovering anyway. Shall she need to go on any meds when she returns?

I'm not sure. It sounded like they've weaned her off the sedatives and painkillers, and as they managed to cut out the required margin I don't think she'll need radio therapy. But I'll find out more tomorrow when I collect her and speak to the oncologist and surgeon.

Best of luck to her then. Let us know of progress?

Thank you! Will do.

She's home. A little peeved about being on cage rest, and not appreciating her lampshade, but she's home and snoozing.

The oncologist is recommending radio therapy now though. They found some cells at the margins of the tissue that was removed that could be normal or could be cancerous - I forget the type. Radio would make sure they were zapped.

It's a big deal though. They don't do it at the centre she's been at; the nearest place is a three hour round trip away. She'd have to stay there a fortnight and be zapped every day under anaesthetic. Is this fair? I don't know. Her oncologist said she coped pretty well with being in the hospital, so that's encouraging, but it still seems a lot to put her through.

But then she's already been through a lot with the surgery, so maybe it's stupid to stop now when this could improve her odds further.

I forget, *Rhubarb, but how old is she?

I think now you've done this much it would be silly not to do the last bit. I don't think it would be painful for her and if they think she can cope with that much sedation then I think I would go for it.

Thanks for the reassurance, catneuterer. She's only 7 and deals with this stuff pretty well, considering. She's been in and out of vets since she was a teeny tiny rescue kitten with cat flu and then cataracts, and a host of minor problems since, so she knows the drill and takes it in her stride. This is all a much bigger deal though.

I know it's the right thing to do but my bloody Dad has planted the seed of doubt in me today, questioning whether it's fair to put her through all this, and spouting rubbish about mercenary vets recommending anything to make a quick buck.

I know that's crap and I told him as much, but I still feel like I need a bit of reassurance now.

She's a young cat so I think, on balance, I'd go for the treatment - as she's a coper.

Thanks Cozietoesie

I think at 7 I would do it too, yes, as she's come so far and got through the surgery. Glad to hear she has recovered well.

I'm sure the vet wouldn't be recommending something like radiotherapy just for "a quick buck", it wouldn't be ethical to put a cat through that sort of treatment without good clinical reasons for doing so (although am not sure if your dad would be convinced by that argument?!)

No he's a professional grumpy old man. I said almost exactly that to him and got a pfft and a "well you've got more faith in the veterinarian profession than I have."

He's a miserable bugger and wrong about many, many things. And a total Daily Fail reader