Guest Piximatosis Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 (edited) Does anyone have any info, or links to info, or experience with, soft tissue sarcomas, specifically "spindle cell tumours" (obviously in dogs)? I need as much info as I can possibly get. I'm running google searches and have gone through the few vet books I have at home but would really love to hear from people here. Please, please help me out. Updated 27/4 to make thread title less dramatic :p Edited April 27, 2007 by Piximatosis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 here are some links: you probably have them already tho http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/CLERK/Nesbit/ http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.js...tm/bc/72221.htm http://maxshouse.com/Oncology/tumors_of_the_skin.htm join the "canine cancer" group at yahoo....heaps of help there. I have been a member since aug 2002 when my Lucinda was dxd with Mast cell tumour. Consult with reputable holistic vet for support complementary care.... it does work ( Lucinda is holistically treated) I use a holistic vet practice in Sydney but live in Qld Good Luck. helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Piximatosis Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Would you mind PMing me the specific practice you have dealt with? Thank you, Helen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Pix, just in case Helen has not seen this yet, the practice is All Natural Vet Care They look after Ollie as well. Good luck Jodie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Thanks for that Jodie. BTW how is ollie? Helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Piximatosis Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Thanks, Jodie! What kind of cancer does Ollie have? How long has he had it? I knew he had it but until you have a dog of your own with cancer the details all seem to fade out... now I'm going through everything I can trying to find similarities between my girl and other dogs (although I'm not liking some of those similarities I can tell you, especially the ones where the tumour is removed then grows back at almost lightning speed).. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Bump for pix. Hugs honey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belinda Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Hi, I have a bitch (desexed Collie Rough) that had a soft tissue sarcoma. It was on her show side rear leg, on her hock joint. I first noticed it one day whilst bathing her. It was about the size of a 20 c piece. We had it surgically removed and closure of the wound was difficult. That was April 2005. By Spetember 2005 it was already growing back. In late January 2006 she had her hind leg amputated. She was 9 1/2 yrs old. The vets said that soft tissue sarcoma's are extremely common in older animals on their limbs. They are not the kind of cancer that spreads. Why do they grow so rapidly well that is because when you have 3 cells reproducing every couple of days there is moderate growth, but when you have thousands reproducing well them you'll have massive growth. Our bitch is still alive will be 11 in July, and runs around like a fool. We had to wait till there had been muscle wastage so that the surgery was a tad easier, less risk of bleeding out. She was in pain, I won't deny it, but ot look at her now. Why somepeople don't even notice she only has 3 legs. If you want anymore info just PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Piximatosis Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Thanks, Belinda. My girl is 20 months old... the tumour is in her neck and is the size of a golf ball. We are having x-rays done tomorrow. The Vet believes that it may not be possible to remove it because of where it is, in which case I'll have to start researching all possible ways of halting or otherwise slowing down its growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Thanks for that Jodie.BTW how is ollie? Helen Thanks, Jodie!What kind of cancer does Ollie have? How long has he had it? I knew he had it but until you have a dog of your own with cancer the details all seem to fade out... now I'm going through everything I can trying to find similarities between my girl and other dogs (although I'm not liking some of those similarities I can tell you, especially the ones where the tumour is removed then grows back at almost lightning speed).. Just saw this again, sorry. Ollie is doing quite well Helen, thanks for asking - he still has his ups and downs but definitely more ups... Pix, Ollie has mast cell cancer grade 2. He was operated on in November 2005 to remove the tumours but they did not get clear margins, so he had to have chemo. He was also treated by the lovely ladies at All Natural Vet Care. As you can see he has had the cancer for a while, going on a year and a half now. Lots of ups and downs but they are worth it. Helens Lucinda has the same cancer but hers is a grade three and bless her she is still with us going on 4 years (correct me if I am wrong, please Helen) and she has been treated only holistically. Ollie has a thread here somewhere that details his entire journey - I will track down the link for you and you can have a look if you want to. Wishing you all the best Jodie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooper Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Sending healing vibes for your girl, Pix. I hope the x-rays bring good news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Lucinda was dxd 28 August 2002 so its 4 years and 7 months. Pix keeping your girl in my thoughts. remember that everything they write about are averages. so dont panic and try to stay calm..difficult i know so easy to say and so very hard to do. Helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 any news pix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Piximatosis Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Ok... the news is not good but it is not as bad as first thought either. In the first x-ray it appeared that the tumour was attached to her SPINE... thankfully the second x-ray shows that it is not attached, however it is only 1mm away from it. To remove the tumour with a fair chance of it not growing back, the wing of one of the vertebra in her neck will need to be removed as well. Oddly... the tumour looks like a mushroom cloud, you know what you see when a bomb goes off? The base appears to be calcified - which is not a bad thing as it means it shouldn't grow any closer to her spine!! - but the top looks like a cauliflower. At this point we are going to wait and see what it does... if it continues to grow then we will try to remove it (along with part of her vertebra... ffs)... if it doesn't, then the Vet is currently happy to leave it well enough alone. This kind of tumour does not tend to metastasize and currently, where it is is not causing her any discomfort whatsoever. Vet also says that aside from this lump Kaeleigh is in absolute perfect health so no need for panic yet. Still... typical Kaeleigh... she wouldn't grow a tumour on her leg or somewhere common, has to do it near her spine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clover Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Oh Pix i am just seeing this now . Lots of good vibes and on the way for Kaeleigh and you to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Piximatosis Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Thanks Clover. At this point Kaeleigh is just as bouncy, happy and full of life as she always is. If everyone can just keep their fingers crossed that the tumour doesn't grow, then she should be around for quite a while yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Thinking of you Pix! Give Miss K a hug for me - she certainly doesn't like doing anything by halves does she?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdf Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 I don't have any experience with the cancer stuff but I do have a dog who is missing one of the "wings" from one of the vertebrae in his neck (from injury). I haven't seen the xrays of my boy but I've been told the wing is completely gone. His head tilts a bit to one side because of it but you really wouldn't notice if you didn't already know about it. Wishing the best for your girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aniangel Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 Hi Pix - sorry to hear about your girl....I am an oncology vet nurse in sydney. soft tissue sarcomas are locally invasive and you need large margins to successfully remove the tumor, which i understand is a problem here. they can also be treated with radiation therapy successfully, but the only veterinary machine that can get to the high doses you need to treat is in Melbourne. Chemo is always a distant 3rd choice when dealing with soft tissue sarcomas. if i may, i would suggest you have the lab have another look at whatever sample they have - or ask you vet to consult with a veterinary oncologists about the results. was it a fine needle aspirate or a proper biopsy? your description on x-ray of the lump as well as its location makes me wonder if it couldn't be an osteosarcoma (bone tumor) they are difficult to diagnosis even on biopsy and they can look like a soft tissue sarcoma on histopath. either way, i wouldn't suggest waiting for the lump to get bigger before doing anything surgically - soft tissue sarcomas can change their grade and become more aggressive even when left alone. best of luck and if i can be of anymore help, feel free to PM me...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooper Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 You sound like you're on top of all this, aniangel, and your knowledge will be a great comfort to Pix Pix, I'm sort of relieved that it doesn't sound as bad as it could be at this stage, and definitely pleased that Kaeleigh is happy within herself. Fingers crossed that the tumour grows about as well as my drought-stricken garden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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