Cancer in the Jaw of a Cat
When owning a cat, it is important to be attentive to your cat's behavior and symptoms, especially after the age of 10 years old. A cat should have regular geriatric exams to ensure that he is in good health. Early diagnosis is the best way to ensure your cat has a good prognosis when it comes to cancer of any kind, including cancer of the jaw and mouth.
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Jaw and Oral Cancer
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Cats are less likely to develop cancer of the jaw or oral cavity than dogs. Both squamous cell carcinoma and fibrosarcoma can develop in the jaw of a cat, and these types of cancers typically set in the bone of the jaw and do not spread to other areas. In rare cases, the cancer can result in severe invasion of the jaw bone; the severity of the cancer will need to be properly diagnosed by a veterinarian. Squamous cell carcinoma is the primary cause of cancer in older felines.
Symptoms
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Symptoms of oral or jaw cancer in a cat include excessive drooling, problems eating, oral bleeding, inability to groom themselves and halitosis (bad breath). Some cats may not exhibit any symptoms at all, which increases the likelihood that a diagnosis will be made too late to have a good prognosis, leaving a minimal chance of correcting the affected area.
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Diagnosis
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There are a few different techniques that a veterinarian may use to diagnose jaw or oral cancer. The first step is typically to run a blood screening and complete physical exam.
If a tumor is present, a biopsy may be taken to test the tumor to see if it is malignant.
A chest x-ray or CT scan may be performed to make sure the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.
The tissue of the biopsy may be put up against a chemo assay, which is a test done to decide which chemotherapy treatment would be most effective for the cat.
Treatment
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Treatment for cancer of the jaw may consist of surgical removal of the cancerous tumor and cells and possibly the bone. The surgery will be done in combination with chemotherapy or radiation treatment to completely destroy any remaining cancerous cells. The chemotherapy treatment is dependent upon the severity of the cancer.
A feeding tube may be needed to aid in proper nutrition.
Prognosis
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Prognosis for the affected cat is dependent upon the severity of the cancer. If surgery and chemotherapy are successful, the prognosis is fairly good for the cat. If the cancer can not be completely removed, the chemotherapy will typically only help for a short period of time.
Detecting cancer of the jaw early is key to increasing the cat's survival rate.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit cat image by nutech21 from Fotolia.com
