Is my cat's abdominal mass and swollen lymph node likely lymphoma?

I am so sorry you and Mimi are going through this. It is perfectly acceptable to seek a second opinion from another veterinarian or veterinary office at any point! If you aren’t comfortable with the testing or diagnosis you may want to reach out to Mimi s doctor first to discuss things again (maybe he had concerns based on the x-Ray? Or maybe fluid was actually examined and cancerous cells were seen?) and in more depth. If you are still uncomfortable though at all , there is no reason not to make an appointment with another vet for their opinion. Anytime a cat has a belly full of fluid, something very serious is going on. And It is unfortunately true that abdominal fluid (aka ascites) in an older kitty is often cancer. The more common cancers we see are lymphoma and adenocarcinoma and mast cell disease. However, there are several other causes including heart failure (the veterinarian would likely be able to rule this out based on exam and x-rays) or infection. Fluid cytology (having fluid submitted to lab to be examined under a microscope) and abdominal ultrasound often can help us start sorting out what could be the underlying problem. Again, I’m sorry Mimi is dealing with this.

Hello. While I cannot promise you that the lump is not cancer, it is very HIGHLY UNLIKELY that the lump is cancerous. She is just too young. There are lymph nodes in the abdomen that can enlarge possibly due to a local infection, possibly even during a heat cycle. So, do not worry too much. Take care.

Hi there. The spleen is a lymphatic organ, somewhat similar to lymphnodes. It can enlarge with many different types of problems such as feline leukemia virus, FIV, FIP, and even cancers like lymphoma. If blood work has not been done yet then I would recommend blood work and an ultrasound of the abdomen. I would encourage you to discuss doing an ultrasound guided needle aspirate of the spleen with your veterinarian. This may help determine what the underlying problem is. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

So sorry about your cat. It Is sometimes hard to predict the likelihood of neoplasia versus a benign cause. I have had cases that I thought would be lymphoma and turned out to be an infection/inflammation. I know it is hard waiting on the biopsy results but try not to worry until the results are back. Hoping for good news when the results are in.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Fiona. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine if the mass is cancerous or not just by looking at it. Her veterinarian could perform a simple procedure known as a fine needle aspirated. The doctor would use a small needle to collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This can lead to a diagnosis in some cases, but can be inaccurate. For a more accurate diagnosis, the mass would need to surgically removed and the whole mass submitted to the laboratory for a pathologist to review. I understand your hesitancy to do so given her age. That being said, cats have a higher rate of cancerous mammary tumors compared to dogs. Furthermore, the mass appears ulcerated in your picture. This can can associated with malignancy as well. Unfortunately, there is a good chance that it is cancerous. I hope this information helps.

Oh dear! I'm sorry to hear that Bean is having this problem. Unfortunately, there is no way to diagnose what the mass is just by looking at it - he would need to have a biopsy or a fine needle aspirate (FNA) to get a sample of the tissue in the mass for analysis in order to get a specific diagnosis. In general, I can tell you that lymphoma is a common cause of a mass in this area in cats, but there's no way to know for sure if this is what Bean has without further work-up. For a mass or tumor in this area, I would normally recommend referral to a specialist for advanced imaging studies, biopsy or FNA, and discussion of treatment options. Your regular veterinarian should be able to help you set this up, if you wish.

Hi there and thank you for your post. While ultrasound can be quite a values tool in diagnostics, it is unable to diagnose lymphoma on its own. Endoscopy is considered good standard because samples of tissue can be biopsied and then processed at a lab by a pathologist and interpreted at the cellular level, which ultrasound cannot do. I would suggest an ultrasound first if you haven't already and then if no at is not a concern, set up a second opinion with an internal medicine specialist to discuss the next diagnostic steps and treatment options. If lymphoma is confirmed, you may want to consider a consult with an oncologist at that point. Hope that helps and hope Sam feels better soon! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have.