Dog's aggressive tumor was hard, now soft. Does this mean progression?

It is great news that the tumor removed had clean margins! This means it is much less likely to come back in the future. Tumors are graded on how many abnormal or cancer-type cells are seen when examining the biopsy under a microscope. Grading can be different for all the tumor types, but for most tumors a grade of 2 is only moderate in severity. This means the tumor has a chance of spreading but it is not very likely. Your vet probably recommended you visit an l oncologist just to be thorough. Oncologist have a lot more up-to-date information on cancer treatments and staging then regular practitioners do. The oncologist may recommend you do chemo to be on the safe side or they may recommend that you don't need to take any further steps. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Many benign tumors will grow slowly over time. I always recommend repeating a fine needle aspirate if a mass grows quickly, changes texture or becomes red or painful. It does not sound like any of those things have occurred with Toodles, but I would certainly contact your vet to let them know that the mass has grown slightly, so they can look at the results of the previous aspirate and decide if there is any reason to repeat an aspirate of the mass. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi we cannot see previous questions that you have posted on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If you have a more complex case feel free to set up a consultation with myself or one of the other experts. But I'll do my best to answer the question do you have here. There are some tumors or cancerous masses that may appear to decrease and increase in size such as mast cell tumors or histiocytomas that may spontaneously regress on their own but can recur in other places. Certain medications can also cause tumors to shrink in size but they may regrow ones that medication is not as effective. Depending on the type of cancer and what organ system in the body it is affecting, many dogs live seemingly normal happy lives up until the point they can no longer compensate or the cancer spreads. For many different reasons owners do not always choose to pursue cancer treatment or in some cases it's not possible. But the pet can still live months to years relatively happy. I hope that was some help, if you have further questions feel free to open up a consultation. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is probably just some scar tissue or a lipoma (a benign fatty tumor) but since it has recently popped up and seems to be growing I would recommend taking Tucker to the vet to have it checked. Your vet can do a fine needle aspirate and cytology. This is where, using a small needle, a sample of the cells are collected and then can be looked at under a microscope. This way your vet can determine what type of mass it is and if it needs to be removed. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would agree that the mediastinal mass is very evident and I would also be very suspicious that it is in fact cancer even if the biopsy did not show that. Sometimes dogs appear to be comfortable even when they are in pain. These new lumps you describe could be somewhat related to this or may be unrelated. I think it would be ideal to have Yogi reevaluated to see if the mass has progressed and if the nodules in the lungs (which likely represent spread of the tumor) have also progressed. I would maintain him on pain control medications even if he does not appear to be obviously in pain. Good luck and have a great day!

Awww, he's a handsome guy! Tumors which appear as lumps and bumps on the skin or can be felt or seen but are just under the skin are common with age; some are benign and not problematic, while some can be life threatening. Lipomas are common, which are usually relatively soft, freely movable under the skin (you can push it around) and are non painful. Generally these are slow growing, they do not cause cancer elsewhere in the body (though its very common for a dog to have multiple lipoma tumors) and rarely cause a problem. Mast cell tumors, on the other hand, can be aggressive and can cause systemic illness. They can look like lipomas; the only way to know the difference is for your vet to perform a fine needle aspirate (where they will poke the bumps with a needle to get a sample of the cells and then look at them under a microscope. Other skin tumors can include squamous cell carcinomas which can be very locally invasive and aggressive, and grow quickly. Keep an eye on the lumps and bumps. If any of them are quickly growing, start to break open or bleed, or any of them are painful when touched, he should be seen by a vet. A golfball sized tumor is immensely easier to remove than a football sized one--so addressing a lump when its small is much better Grady and also will cost less than waiting until its very large. I hope that helps you, thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Typically, if a mass is not changing in size, and is soft and freely movable, most of these masses are benign and nothing to worry about. The only way to know for sure is for your veterinarian to sample some cells from the mass, either via a fine-needle aspirate, or with a larger biopsy and evaluate the cells under a microscope. Since it is small, soft, freely movable, and unchanged over the course of a year, your vet likely believes this mass is benign and feels comfortable having you monitor it at home. I hope this is helpful - best of luck with Oscar!