Hemangiosarcoma---HELP!

[tasham]

I wanted to give an update on Cyrus. We met with an oncologist today. She was so wonderful and gave us lots of information. She gave us all our options and said that it is very rare in a young dog like Cyrus and that we had some tough decisions to make. First thing we are doing is getting the tumor re-tested by another pathologist, just to confirm the diagnosis. If that comes back again as the same diagnosis, then we have the options of taking out additional areas where it was removed, just to be sure all of it was removed. I guess some of the margin lines were a little thin, and she said it might be good to take more of the area out. Next we would do an ultrasound and chest x-rays to make sure it has not spread internally. She said if it hasn't spread or is too small to show up on the scans, that now is the optimal time to do chemo as this would be the best chance of getting it early. She gave us all the information on chemo and risks and side effects and benefits. It would be a series of 5 chemo regimens at 3-week intervals. There is a risk of cardiomyopathy, which is scary.

I'm still heartbroken, confused, and saddened beyond words. She said with this type there is a 60% chance of metastasis and 40% chance it may not ever come back, so I'm keeping that hope alive that we'll fall into that 40%.

Kate, what chemo drug is your Oscar on? I can't remember the exact name but the one she is recommending but it starts with a D. I'm so sorry you and your baby are going through the same thing. I wish with all my heart that your Oscar makes a full recovery and does very well with his chemo and has a long, long life ahead of him. My doctor recommended anything that will boost his immune system, like fish oils.

So for now, we are waiting for the 2nd lab test results to come back in a couple of days and then going from there. I keep looking at my beautiful, gorgeous, strong, happy boy and wish I could take this from him somehow. It's hard to look at him without getting saddened. He means more to me than he will ever know and I just hate this so much. I never, ever thought I'd be going through this at such a young age with him.

Thanks for all the understanding and well wishes from this great community. It's so nice having a place to go where others understand completely the meaning of these beautiful dogs in our lives and share that same feeling. I've always hated reading about the sad things that some of the members here have to deal with with their beloved pets.

I will keep you all posted on what the next few days brings and what we decide to do as the next step.

 

[KGorczyca]

types of chemo drugs Oscar is on

The Chemo drugs that we have Oscar on are Adriamycin & Cytoxan and Vincristine.
He is on a 12 week program - 4 rounds, each of three weeks.

During the First week of each round he gets the Adriamycin & the Cytoxan. (I am pretty sure one of those is actually the same drug you mentioned that starts with a "d") This round Oscar did have some side effects - nausea and vomiting. It started 2 days after the treatment and lasted for about 24 hrs. But it went away as quick as it came on and no other problems since then. I was also told that when he gets this combo of drugs again (which is tomorrow) the vet is going to give me anti nausea medicine to help.

During the 2nd and 3rd week of each cycle he gets the Vancristine. This seems not to bother him much at all. I did notice he had mild diarrhea over the weekend but nothing that was worrisome.

Before we started Oscar on this chemo therapy the oncologist also did chest xrays and abdominal ultrasounds. Oscar came back clear and with no other tumors. But the blood work showed the cancer was definitely in his blood stream. My oncologist did say b/c the cancer had not yet spread internally and formed additional tumors, acting very quickly was our best chance of him going into remission. So I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I hope that if you decide to put Cyrus on Chemo he has as little (or less) side effects as Oscar. Sometimes it is easy not to think he has cancer b/c he acts the same as always!
That was the big deciding point for me - I did not want to put him on chemo and make him sick - I wanted him to have the same quality of life he is used to having.
Good luck with everything and keep us posted! Again - if you have any questions I don't mind at all!

Kate

 

[dorimama]

The lab report indicated a low likelihood of coming back, but I've been reading on the internet and reading stories here and none of the prognoses sound good at all. Cyrus just turned 2 last month. Should I be freaking out here?

What you're probably reading about are hermangio sarcomas that occur on/in an organ, especially the spleen. For whatever reason many dogs experience hermangio sarcoma's on their spleens which usually metasticize to other organs...the prognosis for these dogs is fairly poor even after removal of the tumour. A hermangio sarcoma on the leg is, I would imagine, probably one of the best places to have one. Not only because you can see it but also because you were able to catch it early. Most hermangio sarcomas that occur inside the body sit around for years in the body, silently growing and spreading and are only diagnosed when they rupture or begin to leak and the dog bleeds internally. Emergency surgery is then required to repair the situation if possible. If your doctor is fairly confident that they got all of the tumor I wouldn't be to worried but seeing an oncologist is certainly not a bad idea. Be thankful that the tumour was so visible, most owners never know until it's far too late to do anything.

I truly hope that your Cyrus continues to thrive and that this horrific event is a thing of the past!

 

[tasham]

Dorimama, thanks for the information and hope on this! We did meet with an oncologist a couple days ago. There's 60% chance with it being subcutaneous that it will metastasize. There's a 40% chance that with surgery alone it will not come back. She said in young dogs, it's very rare, but that in younger dogs it tends to sometimes be more aggressive, but she didn't have too many statistics on the the course of the disease in young dogs and what to expect because it's just not a common thing. This is normally found in middle-aged to older dogs. We are actually re-testing the tissue sample a 2nd time to make sure that it is in fact hemangiosarcoma. She was a wonderful doctor and gave us lots of information, but she was also very up front and honest and said that in this situation with his young age, she is "kind of worried" about it. So right now we are waiting for the 2nd lab results to come back. If it comes back again with the same diagnosis, we are going to most likely go back and take additional margins out just to be really sure it is gone. I guess the deep margins were a little thin, so she suggests additional surgery. We will also do an ultrasound and chest x-rays to make sure it has not spread. She said if it has not spread then right now is actually the best time for chemo as it would be the best time to kill those cancer cells before they get a hold on an internal organ too strongly. Chemo has risks of heart failure, which scares us to death, especially in boxers. But she is saying if we want to throw everything we can at this that would be the course of action to do. We're taking it one step at a time. The lab results should be coming back today or tomorrow. Whatever that says, we go from there. I'm praying with everything in me that we get a miracle and it comes back as a misdiagnosis and it is not hemangiosarcoma. But I'm also preparing myself for it to come back as a confirmed diagnosis. Either way, we're going to do the best we can for our beloved boy. In my eyes, he is the most beautiful dog I've ever seen. He is the sweetest, most snuggliest, most loving dog I've ever had. His disposition has always been so different than my other dogs, even though I love them all the same. Cyrus and I just have a very deep connection with each other. He looks at me with these piercingly beautiful eyes as if he understands everything I feel and say. He's my buddy and one of my best friends and this has been sheer agony to deal with the reality of what might happen. I'm trying to stay strong, positive, and hope for the best. There's still a good chance we can beat this, and I'm holding onto that hope with all my heart.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. They are truly appreciated and needed in times like this!

 

[CSMARTIN]

My Jake had an internal hemangiosarcoma. He was 10 when we found it and yes the vet said we were lucky to have found it before it ruptured. Like someone else said, that is when most people find it, after it has ruptured and they are bleeding internally. When his was removed it was 2.2 lbs and was attached to the muscles along his spine. At that time, there was no spread visible, but being the type of cancer it is, the oncologist said it was more than likely spreading. We did not go with chemo because she said that it was not very effective against the internal type of hemangiosarcoma. Instead we tried metronomic therapy. It is a combination of three types of medicine that close off the blood supply to tumors. Unfortunately, Jake did not tolerate the medicine very well and I didn't want him to suffer any discomfort. We discontinued the therapy and by March it had spread to his liver, kidneys and bladder. We had him put to sleep on March 4th. Maybe the metronomic therapy is something you could try. From what I've read the hemangiosarcomas in the skin have a much better prognosis than the internal ones. Unfortunately for Jake, his bloodline has a high incidence of this type of cancer and to have him for 10 years was a blessing. Good luck to you. I know what you are going through.

 

[Mader]

Was the tumor biopsy sent to a lab?

What stage did they give it?

I'm always curious about a general practicing Vet taking on this sort of thing?

I don't mean to be cynical, but so many people bring their dogs in and sure enough, it's a Boxer, it has either a mast cell tumor or some sort of tumor.

I'm all for biopsy, but show us the owners the results, and then find a protocol for treatment of said cancer.

Mostly, wishing a speedy recovery...

 

[Arthur]

It sounds like you have a very good oncologist and since you caught it so early, that definitely improves the chances of Cyrus being ok...

Good luck and I wish Cyrus full and fast recovery!

 

[kelseighgirl]

Fingers and paws crossed that Cyrus makes a full and quick recovery from this.
You will be in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[Gruntsmom]

Sending out more healing, positive and hopeful vibes to your Cyrus. All of us understand very well the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing now; Cyrus is so young and he is your heart and means the world to you. You are wise to stay in a positive mode and to be proactive for your boy. I wish you and Cyrus the very best in whatever course of treatment you choose for him. Boxers are real troopers. Don't give up hope! Sending you hugs. Please keep us posted.

 

[tasham]

We got the 2nd pathology report back. This pathologist also agrees it is hemangiosarcoma. However, she does feel that it is very well differentiated and the margins are clean. She also noted on the report that "because the tumor is well localized and exhibits low mitotic activity, it appears well-differentiated and of low grade malignancy. I tend to think that this tumor may have a lower potential for metasatic disease." We got the report in the late afternoon last night, so I haven't been able to talk to the oncologist on if this pathology report will change any of the recommended treatment for Cyrus or not, but I do feel a little better about this report, for some reason. Of course, we haven't done any ultrasounds or blood tests to check for spread of the disease yet, so I assume we will still do that next week to make sure it's not spreading. I'll talk to the oncologist Monday and see what she thinks from here.