Can a dog's tumor shrink and grow? Do cancer symptoms fluctuate?

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!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is difficult to say for sure what these tumors are just by looking at photos. However, that being said, the light pink mass I would suspect to be benign / non-cancerous and it looks like what we call a sebaceous adenoma. The dark purple mass looks a little more suspicious for a malignant / cancerous mass. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine both to be on the safe side. The vet can insert a small needle into both masses and look at their cells under the microscope, a test called a Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA). I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The fact that these biopsies have come back inconclusive does not mean that this is not cancer. Unfortunately, this is very likely an aggressive form of cancer. After seeing these images, my main concern is that this is possibly a tumor arising from one of the ribs or sternebrae such as osteosarcoma for instance. In one of the images I see that there is likely pulmonary nodules which are most likely due to metastasis or spread of this cancer. It is hard for me to advice further without being able to look at more images or know more about the case. I would encourage you to check in again with them as another biopsy could be performed. Also, if there is truly already signs of metastasis, the treatment options and prognosis are also limited. I would mention to them the possibility of being referred to a veterinary oncologist who can look at the case with more details and advice further. I really hope they can help you and your boy!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and for looking out for Buddy. I'm not sure from your picture if you're talking about the blackish mass at the front of Buddy's chest, or if he has masses under his skin on his sides. Either way the answer is the same. If the masses are coming back in the same place, then he's either very unlikely or there is local recurrence of the mass. Local recurrence and have been with cancerous growths and also with some more benign types of growths. The appropriate treatment depends on the type of mass that it is. I would recommend asking your veterinarian if he had cytology or histopathology done on the mass for testing (because those would give very different information) and exactly what the growth was. Then you can talk to your veterinarian about the significance of regrowth, or repost a question here if you would like. Another possibility is that he's getting new masses, in similar but not identical places, and it's unrelated to his old masses. For this I would recommend cytology (using a needle to poke the mass while Buddy is awake) at your veterinary office and talking to them about whether removal is needed or not.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Overall, from what I'm reading and seeing, I have a low level of concern about Mukwa. This lesion does not look typical of a mast cell tumor (though that type of cancer does not always follow the "rules"). In general, non-cancerous things do not become cancerous with time - though there are exceptions. Occasional vomiting is not necessarily something I equate with Mast Cell Tumors, but does warrant a chat with your vet to see if it's something worth looking into. More concerning signs to me would be decreased appetite, weight loss, or lethargy. Best of luck to you and Mukwa!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Rolo! From the biopsy report Rolo had hemandiosarcoma which is a very aggressive cancer of the blood vessels. We most commonly see if on the liver, spleen or right atrium of the heart. By the time it has grown it has microscopically spread else where. It is a very aggressive cancer and even with chemotherapy/radiation and surgery most dogs get more or less than 6 months after diagnosis. I do not think anything else would have cured Rolo. I am very sorry for your loss.