What is Mast Cell Tumor?
Mast cells are present in most tissues and can form an important part of your cat’s immune system. In the case of a mast cell tumor, the healthy cell begins to mutate and take on an abnormal shape and can grow and reproduce, invading other nearby tissue. Mast cell tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous) and have varying degrees or ratings. Mast cell tumors have a tendency to affect older cats over 10 years of age and are especially prevalent in Siamese cat breeds. Mast cell tumors are also sometimes referred to as mastocytomas.
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Symptoms of Mast Cell Tumor in Cats
Like many tumors, mast cell tumors will begin with raised bumps or growths with an escalation of symptoms depending on the severity of the condition and whether the tumor is cancerous. Symptoms include:
- Raised growth or bump
- Loss of hair in area of bump
- Redness or irritation of bump
- Can be located on or below the skin
- Typically located on the trunk or body but can occur in other areas
- Ulceration may occur if your cat irritates the mass or in severe cases of cancerous tumor
- If a tumor metastasizes, or spreads, systemic symptoms such as lethargy, general sickness, or loss of appetite may occur.
Causes of Mast Cell Tumor in Cats
The cause of mast cell tumors, as is the case with most types of tumors and cancers, is unknown. Mast cell tumors form and spread when an unnatural mutation occurs within the healthy mast cell.
Diagnosis of Mast Cell Tumor in Cats
Diagnosis of mast cell tumor in your cat will begin with a thorough physical exam. Your vet will examine the suspected tumor and will search your cat for any additional tumors located on other parts of the body. You should provide a thorough medical and physical history of your cat to your veterinarian. It will be especially important to note the approximate date of first appearance of the tumor and the amount of growth since that time. If the tumor has changed in size rapidly, including reduction, this will be especially important for helping your vet determine how aggressive the tumor is.
Your vet will next conduct a biopsy of the tumor. This will often be done using a technique called fine needle aspiration. During this procedure, a needle is inserted into the tumor and is used to withdraw a small number of cells. Your vet will then view those cells under a microscope to determine if there are any cellular changes in appearance, also called differentiation, that could indicate the tumor is cancerous.
If your vet determines the tumor is malignant, he or she may order additional tests to determine whether or not the cancer has spread to any other organs. These tests may include a complete blood panel, fine needle aspiration of the lymph nodes closest to the tumor, and x-rays of the head and chest.
Treatment of Mast Cell Tumor in Cats
The preferred treatment for mast cell tumors in cats is surgical removal of the tumor. Prior to any surgery, your veterinarian will order a full blood panel in order to ensure there are no additional conditions that would make surgery extra risky for your cat. In preparation of surgery, your cat will be placed under anesthesia. Your veterinarian will attempt to remove as much of the tumor as possible. In the case of cancerous mass cell tumors, your vet will attempt to gain clean margins. This means they may have to remove extra tissue around the edges of the tumor to ensure that all of the cancerous cells have been removed.
In cases which cancer has spread, your veterinarian may opt to treat your cat with chemotherapy. During chemotherapy, strong drugs are administered to your cat. These drugs attack the cancer cells, causing them to shrink or disappear. Chemotherapy is usually administered in several treatments over a number of months and can have serious side effects. These side effects may be lessened by additional medications prescribed by your veterinarian.
In the case of benign mast cell tumors that have become inflamed, your vet may choose an alternative form of treatment involving anti-inflammatory drugs. Anti-inflammatory drugs will reduce the size and slow the spread of the tumor. This will be the treatment of choice for older cats who may be high-risk surgical candidates.
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Recovery of Mast Cell Tumor in Cats
While they may appear frightening, mast cell tumors actually have a good prognosis for recovery. With surgical removal of the tumor, most cats will recover and lead normal healthy lives. As with any surgical procedure, you will need to carefully follow your vet’s post-operative instructions for wound care. You will also need to keep your cat quiet for several days following surgery.
While they can spread, cancerous mast cell tumors do not have a tendency to metastasize or move to other parts of the body. Your cat will need routine follow-up appointments with your veterinarian and careful monitoring on the owner’s part to ensure that tumors do not return or appear in other areas.
Mast Cell Tumor Average Cost
From 526 quotes ranging from $3,000 - $8,000
Average Cost
$6,000
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Mast Cell Tumor Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Ragdoll mix
Little One
6 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My cat has opened up her mtumor by licking it.Benadryl makes her throw up so is there another allergy medicine I can give her to stop the itching?
She's currently on Prednisolone but it's no longer helping.
May 6, 2018
0 Recommendations
Benadryl is normally the best when dealing with mast cell tumours, although cetirizine may be used but you should consult with your Veterinarian about any changes which you are making to the treatment. Cetirizine is usually dosed at 5mg per day in cats not per lb or kg so take note. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
May 7, 2018
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Domestic shorthair
Divi
16 Years
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Higher Energy Level
Lower Appetite
My 16 year old cat, Divi, has had a tiny tumor on his rear flank for about 2 years. It was so tiny we couldn't reliably find it until it grew enough for us to find it each time we looked and at his bi-annual vet appt this week it was aspirated and the results show it is a mast cell tumor. The tests also show hyperthyroidism for the first time. Our vet wants to wait until the thyroid values are under control before removing the tumor, which is now about 2cm across. I am concerned that if we wait, now that it has been aspirated, it will grow quickly and spread. What is your opinion on waiting until the thyroid is under control before operating (at least 1 month)? Since it is so close to the surface, could a local be given (our cat is VERY calm at the vet's) to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue now, without waiting for the thyroid to be under control? He is acting more energized lately because of the hyperthyroid, but although he eats, his appetite is lower than normal. How does this factor in?
May 4, 2018
1 Recommendations
Given Divi’s age, I would follow your Veterinarian’s advice and wait for the thyroid to get under control; no Veterinarian is going to perform surgery on a cat under local anaesthetic under these circumstances, although I understand your intentions. Whilst one month seems a long time, it is a short period of time in relation to how long the tumour has been present. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
May 5, 2018
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Black shorthair
Soot
15 Years
3 found this helpful
3 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Lump
Tumor
Mass In Abdomen
My cat was diagnosed with an aggressive malignant mast cell tumor in October, 2017. It was promptly removed, but it has returned with a few friends (there are now four tumor sites, one of which is an open-sore cluster). We are opting out of surgery this time due to cost, his age (age 15), and the fact that the tumor came back so quickly. My questions are: without any sort of chemo or treatment, can you estimate his life expectancy? What signs will he be showing when he is ready for that "last trip" to the vet? Thank you.
March 22, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
3 Recommendations
Thank you for your email. I'm sorry that this is happening to Soot. Every cancer behaves differently, but malignant mast cells tend to develop and progress rapidly. If he is in discomfort from the tumors, seems painful, doesn't want to walk or eat, or just seems unhappy, those may be signs that it is time to make a humane decision. I'm sorry, again, that you are going through this with him.
March 22, 2018
This is helpful thanks for sharing, my cat Coco is going through same thing-had surgery then new growths came back 6 months after removal. (She's also 15) On back of her neck-now more and much bigger and some are starting to ooze and get infected, she just got an antibiotic shot and we were instructed to keep it clean etc. The vet wanted to do surgery again, but I don't think i want to put her through that plus she has heart and thyroid issues, and the area that is effected is much larger than last time. How will I know when it's her "time"?
April 4, 2018
Coco B.
Thanks for posting. I too am experiencing the same thing with my 14 year old cat. He had a mass removed from his hock area six months ago and it had come back. He was depressed after surgery and it took him a long time to heal. I now live in a remote location and feel that another surgery, treatment, and car rides will be too much for him. So far the tumor doesn’t seem to bother him. Quality of life is my main concern for my much love companion.
April 30, 2018
Ann W.
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Ragdoll
Little One
6 Years
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Redness
Itchy
Puffy
I have a 6 year old Ragdoll mix, Little One. She has a mast cell tumor on her right leg, sort of her "wrist" area. We tried a round or Prednisolone which shrinked it for a few months, but now it has started to grow again. It does not bother her, although she does lick it quite a bit causing redness. My questions are, if they go in to remove it, is it possible that once opened, it may spread? And what would the recovery time be?
Feb. 27, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
1 Recommendations
Thank you for your email. Mast cell tumors don't typically resolve without surgical removal. Her front leg is going to be a tough area to removed it due to the amount of skin available to close the wound, so your veterinarian may want to put her back on steroids to try and make it smaller again, but it will need to be removed. The recovery time depends on how the surgery goes, and your veterinarian will be able to give you a better idea as to that . I hope that all goes well for her.
Feb. 27, 2018
Is there a chance of it spreading once it's opened up? What are the chances of it coming back? She is scheduled for surgery Monday but I'm not sure if that's what I want to do based on my first question.
March 3, 2018
Little One's Owner
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Domestic shorthair
Theo
6 Years
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Tumor
hi there,
my cat recently went in for a dental cleaning and they found a mass on his right side while he was under. They removed it a biopsied it and it turned out to be a mast cell tumor. It was not very large and the vet was very confident she got all of it. There were no signs of additional growths and i will continue to monitor him. My question is what is the best next step. Would you recommend an x-ray or ultrasound to see if it has spread beyond cutaneous or just ride it out and only treat if other symptoms appear? If I notice another cutaneous growth, does this mean there is a higher chance of him also having disseminated tumors inside? or are cutaneous and disseminated not necessarily correlated at all? Obviously I would like to get ahead of the curve if possible. Thanks in advance.
Feb. 23, 2018
1 Recommendations
Metastasis of mast cell tumours in cats is uncommon, however it may occur; but if there is a single tumour present on the skin and it was removed with an adequate margin the prognosis is overall favourable. If there was a visceral tumour which spread to the skin, we would expect to see more than one tumour on skin (typically). Chemotherapy is normally unrewarding with this type of tumour and normally isn’t worth the side effects; however this should be discussed with your Veterinarian. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Feb. 23, 2018
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Maine Coon
Tigger
12 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Decreased Appetite- Lost Weight
Our 12.5 yo male Maine coon has mast cell tumors in liver, spleen and in some lymph nodes. Docs didn’t suggest spleenectomy as being a beneficial option for his longevity but all we read says that it slows the profrsssion and potentially gives quality time. How do we know if this is worth trying? He isn’t that outwardly sick. Lessened appetite a little lost weight. No vomiting at all. We are so confused.
Mast Cell Tumor Average Cost
From 526 quotes ranging from $3,000 - $8,000
Average Cost
$6,000
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