My dog has soft tissue sarcoma. How fast do these dog tumors grow?

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.

survival rates are just statistics. If you have a 95% survival rate for x amount of years, there will still be 5% of those who will not survive that time. At the end of the day is is either you live long or you don't. That said, the pathology report is actually very favorable 1) the surgeon managed to remove the tumor in its entirety with good margins (well into the healthy tissue) 2) The cells of the tumor are well differentiated: this means it was slow growing and usually does not metastasise 3) considering your dog is already 6 years old,, and a large breed, the natural life expectancy is maybe another 6 to 8 years maximum. The fact that the tumor was removed in its entirety with good margins, no lymph nodes were involved and no lung metastases present means that it is likely not going to recur. If you regularly check your dog's paws and skin and have any suspicious findings examined right away, you can catch any recurrences early and they can be dealt with. Overall I would not worry too much about survival rate. I think Abby has a good chance for a long happy and healthy life. Nothing is certain with a living being, but the chances are good!

The rate of growth does not necessarily correlate to malignancy - some benign tumors can appear suddenly (such as a histiocytoma) and some malignant tumors can grow slowly (such as a soft tissue sarcoma). I will say that I would agree that the masses in your picture look benign, but my eyes aren't microscopes and ultimately the pathologist will be able to determine what these masses are. Try not to worry too much over the next few days - you'll have an answer soon!

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.

I am so very sorry to hear about Tess. Osteosarcoma is a particularly nasty and aggressive form of cancer. If there is evidence of metastasis to the lungs, I usually estimate 4 weeks or less for a prognosis. Some dogs make it a little longer, some a bit shorter. I’ve had some pass within days of diagnosis. Please note, this time frame is not usually very much extended even with aggressive treatment. The usual signs of deterioration are weight loss, loss of appetite, lethargy, and sometimes cough. The original bony lesion (usually on a leg) can be EXTREMELY painful so pain managment is the bulk of what I do for these patients. I am so sorry for your family and for Tess’s diagnosis. Please reach out to me via the consult link below if you have any further questions or concerns. Best wishes and peace to you and Tess. Dr. Kurth

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bailey. It is good that her new veterinarian properly diagnosed the mass. Most aggressive types of skin cancer grow very rapidly. The fact that her mass did not, is a good sign. Furthermore, it is also good that the mass is not attached to deep underlying tissues. This will make the removal easier. It is will also make it more likely for the mass to be entirely removed. I recommend having the mass submitted to a pathologist for review after it is removed. This is will give you an accurate diagnosis and what you expect for her going forward. I hope this information helps. Good luck!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Harvey. There is no way to know how large the tumor will grow. Some seem to grow rapidly and then slow down. Others will continue to enlarge, rupture and keep growing. It sounds like he still has a great quality of life though. This is what matters. Enjoy this time with him!