Can my cat's lymphoma cause new kidney issues seen on ultrasound?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! That statement is true for the most part. There are more factors that play a role when it comes to ymphoma such as the morphology of the cells and their molecular characteristics. Now it is true that most of the lymphomas affecting the gastrointestinal tract in cats are T-cell. However, we do see T-cell lymphoma affecting other locations. The small cell type of gastrointestinal lymphoma does not tend to affect the kidneys at all while the large cell type can affect the kidney in about a third of the patients. I hope this is useful. To give you more specific information I would need to know more specifics on the case. Feel free to request a consultation with me if you have further questions such as best treatment options and how to manage these cases. I see these cases very commonly as I only see cancer cases. Good luck!

These are great questions. Contrary to popular belief, most cancer patients in veterinary medicine have completely unremarkable bloodwork. Just because there are many extra lymphocytes in the walls of the intestines, does not mean there are extra lymphocytes in the blood stream - where our sample comes from. We can be suspicious of it from an ultrasound but cannot truly diagnose it without the biopsy. As for the second part, small cell lymphoma is a disease that affects large sections of or almost the entire small bowel. It is not a single mass that can be removed. Luckily for you, small cell lymphoma responds well to chemotherapy in most cases. Best wishes to you and Trixie.

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.

Without a full history and physical exam report it is difficult to know why they are recommending an ultrasound which is usually used to track changes in size or texture of internal organs, fluid build up and/or tumor growth. I recommend you contact your vets office and speak to the particular vet involved in order to get a better understanding of exactly what they are trying to identify or rule out and this will allow you to make a more informed decision as to the risks and benefits of anesthesia for an older cat with evidence of kidney issues. A full assessment of the entire blood work and any other current symptoms would be needed to discuss in any more detail and your vet should release these to you for a second opinion should you not feel the situation is adequately explained when you speak to them directly

If these symptoms are new then they could be related to the leukeran. If they are symptoms you were seeing prior to treatment then they could also be disease related. It is also possible as well that there is another cause such as pancreatitis as these cata are at increased risk for secondary health issues. Definitely let your oncologist know what you are seeing. He or she may want to make some suggestions/medication modifications. There are some cats that ultimately do not tolerate leukeran but this is uncommon. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

His response to the steroid injection may be more indication that he does have lymphoma. Prednisone, a steroid, is commonly used in conjunction with a chemotherapeutic agent to treat lymphoma in cats. The steroid will decrease inflammation which may reduce his symptoms. Consider a consult with a veterinary oncologist to discuss testing for a definitive diagnosis after which treatment, if you choose, can begin.

Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that Stassi has been diagnosed with lymphoma. If Stassi and all of your other cats have been indoors only, and were all negative for FeLV to start with, there is next to no chance that your other cats have contracted or will contract FeLV. It is statistically improbable that Stassi has tested negative for FeLV four times and would still have FeLV, unless she may have been exposed to another cat in the past 4-5 years that has FeLV. Lymphoma is a fairly common type of cancer that can occur in cats with or without FeLV. I hope that helps to clarify your concerns. I'm really sorry that you and Stassi are going through this situation.