Would a Mast Cell Tumor Go Away?

[Tessa]

Tessa is 3 and has had two previous histiocytomas that have gone away on their own. She now has another bump under her chin which looks the same as the other ones. It's about the size of a pencil eraser, hasn't changed size or shape, and hasn't bothered her. My question is - if I do not have a vet confirm that it was a histiocytoma and it goes away on its own, is there any chance it could have been a mast cell tumor? Would a mast cell tumor go away on its own? I'm concerned that if it's not confirmed and the bump goes away, could something be spreading under the surface?

 

[Cami]

A MCT will not go away on it's own...in theory. Of course anything is possible!
That being said a mast cell tumor can certainly "come & go", meaning that one day you can see and feel them and other days you can't even find them.
The histamine will make the tumor swell....you can then see it and feel it. Other days it can flatten out and be invisible.
Sometimes they will show up out of the blue and never change in appearance. Always there.
They are the "great imitators" since they can act, feel and look like so many other things.
MCT's of the face are not unheard of but tend to be found less often however IF they do show up there they are usually a little more aggressive.
MCT's are already "spreading under the surface". They have arms (think tentacles like a jelly fish) which grow DOWN, under the tumor and AWAY from it, outwards. This is why such a large margin is taken when removed in an attempt to get outside of those "arms" and clean margins.
If what she has is a MCT it won't "go away" from your view entirely and then be growing DOWN. You will still see it above the surface and on the skin OR under the skin and pushing UP.
Did any of that make sense? LOL

 

[kelseighgirl]

Nothing with MCTs make any sense to me. Susi, I was reading your post and was kind of confused..which isnt hard to do :D!
Justice had an MCT removed in Aug...grade 2 supposedly dirty margins...2nd surgery..clean margins and pathology showing that there werent any cancer cells present. Making me think that all the cells were captured the first time.
Since then I check him top to bottom everyday like a crazy person. Since Sept I have found 3 different times little tiny "bumps" that appeared in different areas...within a few days a scab formed (the bump never broke open or was in an area that could have been scratched so Im not sure why the scab) and than it was gone. Just like that....within a few day..popped up..got a scab on it and gone. He is on the benedryl pepcid meds. Could that be MCTs acting up or just something else weird? I didnt take him back to the specialist since they seem to have been here and gone within a few days. I figured if they were going to hang around for awhile I would have had them investigated but within a few days gone and havent seen them return. :confused:

 

[Nicki's Mom]

My Nicki has had MCTs for the past 2.5 years. The first was surgically removed, and then the tumor on her lower lip was removed and found to be a stage III MCT. We felt as if we were handed a death sentence. There was no way to get clean margins because there isn't enough skin in that area. Nicki is very sensitive - she bloated following a teeth cleaning visit in 2005, so we are very uneasy about any surgery or invasive procedures. We decided against radiation and have had her on 3 benadryl and 1 tagament twice a day (can be given 3 times a day). She had too many tumors and we just couldn't think of putting her through surgery for each of the lumps. It would be too hard on her.
We considered so many things, and eventually decided to stick with the benadryl and tagament. In September of 2009, a year and 3 months after her Stage III MCT was removed, 9 of her lumps mysteriously disappeared within a matter of 2 wks. They were never aspirated, so we're not 100% sure they were MCTs but the regular vet and the cancer specialist said they certainly looked and behaved like MCTs. One mass was the size of my fist! Now only one MCT remains and we are managing it with the meds and a topical steroid. We tried Vetalog and it was hard on her. Here we are 4 months later, she is now 12 years old, and the lumps are still gone. We don't know how, but we are extremely thankful. The vet told us that MCTs can come and go, and not to get our hopes up because one day they could all come right back. He said "Let's hope that whatever is keeping them away continues to keep them away and doesn't eventually stop working". I look her over regularly to make sure she isn't getting any new lumps.

I wish you luck with Tessa. MCTs are stressful to deal with!

Teri