My dog has had two mast cell tumors. Will his life be short?

Mast cell tumor survival rate is entirely dependent on the stage of the mast cell and the mitosis index (seen histologically). So this is a bit more involved than you were likely anticipating it to be. So if Lady has not had a biopsy to gather this information already then there is no way of determining her survival rate unfortunately. The best prognosis is a grade 2 MCt with a mitosis index of <5 at 70 months. The worse was a grade 2 MCT with mitotic index >5 and a survival time of 5 months. Another study suggests that for high grade tumors (MCT grade 2 and above) the mean survival time is <4 months and for low grade tumors (MCT grade 1) the mean survival time is >2 hrs. I hope this helps and feel free to post your question again once you have the necessary information of grading and mitotic index so we can tell you specifically what your pets cancer survival rate is. I am sorry Lady does have mast cell cancer and I hope that you can keep her comfortable for the time being. Best wishes and take care.

Hello, thank you for your question about Zeus. If the lumps/masses were removed with relatively good margins, meaning that your veterinarian was fairly confident they removed all portions of the tumor, and the mast cell tumor was low grade no additional treatment is required other than close monitoring for recurrence in these areas. Although not as common with low grade mast cell tumors, you could elect to look for any evidence of metastasis, or travel of the tumors. This would likely include chest x-rays and an abdominal ultrasound. However, I believe it is also appropriate to continue monitoring Zeus. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Twix. Mast cell tumors are one of the most common forms of skin cancer in dogs. If the margins were clean (meaning all of the cancerous cells were removed), then the mass should not recur. However, mast cell tumors are one of the more unpredictable types of cancer. I recommend closely monitoring his incision site at home for any regrowth. It is best to see his veterinarian at least every 6 months for an examination. At this visit a thorough physical examination will be performed to search for other masses or enlarged lymph nodes. Blood work should be monitored as well. Unfortunately, there is nothing that you or your veterinarian can do to prevent further growths from forming. If any new new growth is observed, a fine needle aspirate should be performed as soon as possible to determine the type of mass. If it requires surgical removal, it is always best to have it done while small for the best chance of achieving clean margins. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This depends on many factors. It depends on where the main tumor is located, if it has spread to other organs, among many other factors. Even high grade tumors can have a good longterm outcome of years of survival when treated aggressively with surgery and chemotherapy if there is no evidence of metastasis to internal organs. However, if there is already spread to internal organs like the liver and the spleen, the survival times tend to be closer to 3-4 months even with chemotherapy. Staging to check for metastasis usually includes thoracic radiographs, abdominal ultrasound and assessment of the local lymph nodes. At the very least, I recommend medications like Pepcid, Benadryl and prednisone that can help with these cases when there is still evidence of a mass present. Good luck and have a good night!

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog! Unfortunately, mast cell tumors do not have a good prognosis as they prone to spreading and some of them can release histamine, a hormone which is responsible for allergy-like reactions. It is definitely concerning that your dog is unable to keep food down and has additional tumors. While surgery is an option, there are some medications that your vet can prescribe to make your dog more comfortable. You may have some difficult decisions to make about his future, but it is important to consider his quality of life and overall condition. I'm happy to answer any additional questions you may have or address any concerns.

I’m glad you are getting Sunny help from your vet. MCTs can be very scary. These tumors can be very dangerous and should be removed promptly. Grading a tumor just by a FNA can be very difficult or impossible. I’ve looked at the slides and agree with your vet that a MCT is a definite possibility here. Sending the entire mass so that it is known if it was completely removed is important. Also, there are special stains and viewing criteria that help a pathologist to grade the tumor properly, but I think they need more tissue than just an aspirate.

It's difficult to recognize mast cells as abnormal on cytologic evaluation. Usually, when a mast cell tumor has metastasized to the spleen, there is a nodule in the spleen that can be visualized with ultrasound or at surgery. Just taking a random aspirate of the spleen and finding normal mast cells does not necessarily prove metastasis, but a recheck ultrasound in 3 months should be helpful if you are still concerned.