Grade 1 Mast Cell Tumours

[iluvfrankie]

Cant even believe I am writing this but called to the vet this evening to collect Frankies results and both lumps are Mast cell tumours and they are grade 1.

The vet said that the margins are clean and she is very happy with them. Also Frank has to go back next week to get her lymph nodes checked.

Can I ask someone with experience- What is the next step?? What can I expect??

We are all heartbroken at home:(

 

[darwinsmom]

First step, don't be so heartbroken. Sure it isn't news you want to hear but Grade 1 mast cell tumors are the best kind to have if you have to have MCTs. Grade 1s are sometimes called benign-acting because they are less likely to metastasize or spread. Unfortunately boxers are prone to MCTs of the skin but fortunately the majority seem to be of the less aggressive variety. Many of us here have been through MCT diagnosis and removal. Some multiple times on the same dog. You can see a oncologist and have further diagnostic tests but pretty much there is nothing more to be done and that is okay, the tumors are gone for now and you just have to be on the look-out for new ones arising. You vet may also start Frankie on a daily regimen of anti-histamines as a prophylaxis.

-Karlyn

 

[Gatorblu]

I know hearing your baby has a mct is hard, but try to relax. A grade I is self contained and will not metastasize. You got clean margins which is great. They do have a chance of coming back, I believe I have read it is 50%, but in my limited experience it has been less than that. My boy Thor had one removed 2 years ago and he has not any since. At the time I did some online research and it was suggested that grains in foods may "feed" the cancer, so we switched to a grain-free food shortly after. Whether or not it has helped, who knows, but it certainly hasn't hurt.

At the same time Thor was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and since then I have noticed on this site many of the dogs that have mcts are also hypothyroid, so you may want to have her checked for that. I haven't seen any medical data to support this, it is just my own observation.

Though it is not great news, it's not the end of the world. You'll just have to be a bit more thorough checking for bumps and having them looked at. Sending lots of positive, healthy (((vibes))) to Frankie!

 

[Cami]

If you have to deal with cancer... a grade 1 removed with clean margins on a Boxer is the preferred variety.
I'd get my hands on a copy of the pathology report. Your vet will have it and can get you a copy. You want to see what the mitotic index number of the tumors are. This number shows you what the tumor was capable of.
A lower grade is good news but you still need to do a bit more investigating. If you can't get back to get a copy at least call the office and have them tell you the number.
There is a 50% chance the tumor(s) will return although that is just an estimate and IF you don't see a re-occurrence within 6 months you are pretty safe that it won't come back in the original place. My girl had over 16 tumors in her lifetime. NONE that were removed surgically ever came back and some were higher grades.
Arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can about MCT's and then *if* you ever have to deal with them (or likely symptoms from them) you will be prepared.
If you start to see allergies develop, or current allergies take a turn for the worse start looking for additional tumors. As another poster mentioned thyroid issues seem to be related in some fashion to not only Boxers but those dealing with mast cell cancer (and allergies). It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a full panel done (simple blood test) so you have a baseline to refer to in the future if needed OR it might show something is amiss sooner rather than later.

 

[iluvfrankie]

Im bringing her back next week to have her lymph nodes checked so il have my research done and il be able to ask all i need to ask then- today I was a little shocked and was only concerned with the here and now i.e do i need to do something right now. I have her on Acana at the moment so hopefully that will keep her well. Fingers crossed all will go well and my little darling will be ok.

Thanks for all your advice- its really appreciated. x

 

[tasham]

My Charlie has had 5-6 grade 1 MCTs removed. The first time, he was 14 months old and had a cluster of them on his back all removed. Then he had another one removed this past summer, at just about 2 years old. All have come back grade 1. I know how scary this is, as I've been there when I first was told, but thanks to so many wonderful posters here, particularly Cami with her great info, I've learned a lot about MCTs and I'm not as panicked about them as I was at first. I did meet with an oncologist, and she's following Charlie closely. We are doing abdominal ultrasounds on him every few months just to check and see if anything does metastasize to his internal organs, but she said in all honesty that only about 15% of grade 1 MCTs do anything scary. We're just on the overly-cautious side.

The best thing is to be vigilant about any new bumps you see and if you do see any, see your vet immediately. I've had Charlie on a regimen of 2 Benadryl tabs per day and 1 Tagamet or Pepcid per day. I checked with our oncologist, and she says this is perfectly safe to give dogs for long periods, like years. So we're keeping him on that.

I've also changed him to a high-quality kibble food for his breakfast and then the other meal of the day is raw. He also gets Nordic Natural fish oil. Fish oil has antiinflammatory properties.

I've also done extensive research on the holistic/herbal approach to upping the immunity, which as our doctor says is key, having a strong immune system. I've found 2 products I highly recommend, although they're expensive. One is K-9 Immunity Plus. It's supposed to boost the immune system. I have both my dogs on it and I think it's helping them both. I also have Charlie on a product call Apocaps which is suppost to support healthy cell function. It's a relatively new product on the market, but it's been developed by a leading cancer veterinarian. Charlie hasn't had any new mast cell tumors for the past 3 months, and he usually gets them in the summer, so we're hoping these pills and diet change have really been helping him.

The one thing our doctor says is if by chance he does get more, which is likely as they tend to recur or pop up in new places, not to panic. As long as they are all grade 1's, we shoudl be find.

Best of luck with your pup and I hope all goes well and you don't have to deal with anymore in her life!