Cat Sinuses and Cancer
The diagnosis of sinus cancer in your cat may be an unpleasant shock to a pet owner, because nasal cancers are not very common. The symptoms of nasal cancer can remain hidden for many years before symptoms become a problem and an accurate diagnosis is made. Nasal cancer is more common in larger breeds of cat, and also more common among male cats than females.
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About Feline Sinus Cancer
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Feline sinus cancers are often deadly. Because symptoms may not present for many years before a diagnosis is made, the cancer can invade many structures throughout the sinuses and skull before treatment is begun. There are two types of cancers that invade feline sinuses; one is lymphoma, which grows in the lymph cells, and the other is carcinoma, which grows in the skin cells.
Symptoms of Sinus Cancer
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Symptoms of feline sinus cancer may be vague and transient at the beginning. There may be sneezing, discharge, bleeding, labored breathing and snoring. Later, there may be facial distortion from the growing tumor. Some of these symptoms may be mistaken for sinus infection or allergies, and treatment for these conditions may be done for some time with little result. It is important to have your veterinarian do additional tests if common sinus treatments are not effective.
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Diagnosis of Sinus Cancer
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Tests to diagnose feline sinus cancer include a complete blood count, skull and chest x-rays, CT scan of the skull, tissue test of the lymph nodes and biopsy of the sinus tumor cells. Rhinoscopy, in which a narrow tube is inserted into the sinuses to detect tumors, may also be done.These tests will allow your veterinarian to detect the location of tumors and whether they have spread to surrounding organs.
Treatment of Feline Sinus Cancer
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Surgery and chemotherapy are the two current treatments for feline sinus cancer. Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for lymphoma of the sinuses. It may be used in conjunction with radiation therapy. Feline nasal carcinoma is more difficult to treat. Surgery is often difficult because of the small passages in felines, and tumors may be very deep in the sinuses. If the tumor is located where it can be reached, the veterinarian may attempt to remove it. Radiation of the tumors may also be prescribed.
Prognosis
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Feline sinus cancer generally carries a poor diagnosis because the tumors may have progressed before symptoms are accurately diagnosed. Surgical outcomes may only be two to five weeks. Radiation has somewhat better outcomes but is not suitable for all cancers. Cat owners must be prepared for both the costs of treatment and the requirements of home care for the duration of the illness. Euthanasia is often necessary within a short period.
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References
- Photo Credit cat image by nutech21 from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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We had two cats, Gary and Albert, they were brothers. Albert died at 15 years in April of 2010 of sinus cancer. It started with him sneezing; we thought he had a cold - that was in December. He was treated for upper respiratory illnesses, but as he did not respond to the medications, he was finally diagnosed with cancer. Now, two years later, Gary (17 years) is suffering from the same problem. He's been taken to the vet and treated for allergies and upper respiratory illnesses, neither of which helped. We now know that it's just a matter of time before he will pass on. Thinking back, Albert's symptoms started with sneezing, that was his first indication. But with Gary, we noticed about a year ago that he began snoring, that may have been the start of his cancer, but we were unaware that snoring may have been a symptom. Neither Gary nor Albert showed any signs of discharge or bleeding. Albert (as in Fat Albert) did not show signs of anorexia, in fact he was eating up until his last few hours. Gary on the other hand, started having difficulty breathing about a month ago; he stopped eating about 8 or 9 days ago. I suspect that the reason he's not eating is because he's lost his sense of smell; he recognizes his food bowl, but will only look at the food it contains and walk away. Thanks, it helps to write and share this information with others.
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I was crushed to find that my beautiful kitty had nasal cancer. Oh, God help us to stomp out the cancer.
