Pancreatic mass...cancer? (not my cat but a friends)

[Tina B and crew]

Hey Traci and anyone who has dealt with pancreatic issues with a cat. I have a friend (in New Zealand) who just had an ultrasound on her cat and it showed a mass on the pancreas. They are thinking it may be cancer but will be doing a biopsy to get a more accurate diagnosis. I don't know what lead the vet to do an ultrasound, what symptoms were there before etc, but I just emailed her to ask. That said, does a mass seen on ultrasound pretty much indicate a tumor and therefore cancer? Could it be pancreatitis? Anything else? I know that her cats are her world and she is just really broken up by this possibility so I promised I would find out what I could for her. Thanks.

[mamabear]

Tina, I have no advice about this subject but wanted to say that I think Traci has been very very busy and wanted you to know not to get upset if she doens't get to this asap.

I am sure that Traci would want to know;

What did the blood tests reveal? (CBC ect... ask your friend if she received the blood work yet and if she did or does to make sure she gets a copy for herself always)

Age of feline?

What led to the feline going to vet in the first place?
Symptoms of reason going to vet?(eating less, drinking less, not using litter pan, vomiting, diarrhea?)

Pancreatitis seems to be separate from having a mass but again I am very very old tech that is out of date with this stuff. What I have read about masses on pancreas in felines is not good and I dont want to alarm you or give you the wrong info.

I'm sure she'll be around and will see this but in case she doesn't I'll look into and see what I can find.
Post these questions to your friend for now and see what she says. I know Traci would at least want that info for sure.

Prayers for your friend and her kitty (((((((((KITTY)))))))))))))

[Tina B and crew]

Hi mamabear....yea, I know Traci is usually busy. I have already asked her (the cat's person) most of those questions to begin with and she just got back to me with everything but the blood work.

The cat is 12 yrs old. She had a reduction in the amount she was eating and started losing some weight, that is what led her to the vet. Vet indicated the liver because of some jaundice and some palpable lumps on the kidneys. The ultrasound found the mass on the pancreas. She said her vet suspects cancer and indicated that they could do a biopsy to get a definitive answer but there are risks to biopsy. She what she is trying to decide is if she should put the cat through the biopsy at her age. She also said the cat is acting normal other than just not eating as much as she use to...but she's running around, chattering at birds, grooming etc. At any rate, what she has read about pancreatic cancer in cats has not been very encouraging to her. My heart breaks for her, because I know her cat is an important part of her life.

[Traci]

Tina, do you know if they did an fPLI? This is the only test accurate enough to diagnose pancreatitis, and if the test result is unusual in any way, it might have some correlation.

It may not be cancerous, but perhaps an abcess or infected cyst or fluid on the pancreas. Although I would think this would cause clinical symptoms OF pancreatitis (vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, lethargy, abdominal pain, low temperature, extreme anorexia). Triaditis (combination of liver, pancreas, IBD) is a serious concern, and at this point, particularly, hepatic lipidosis), which demands immediate, agressive therapy. Hepatic lipidosis is almost always a risk with pancreatitis or when the liver is compromised, and every step should be taken to prevent and/or treat as suspicion. I would be really concerned about the kidneys if there are palpable nodes or masses, this may or may not indicate metastatic cancer (originating from one organ and spreading to others).

Unfortunately, a biopsy is the best diagnostic to rule out cyst/abcess vs neoplasia. But, before proceeding, the vet MUST perform coagulation tests, liver/kidney profiles and preferrably send the fPLI out (immediately because this takes 5-7 business days to obtain results, at least here in the US). Of course, if or when approached, a biopsy should be an ultrasound-guided biopsy.

If the vet isn't experienced, please advise the owner to see a board certified vet in hepatology/gastroenterology, and I stress that time is of the essense here! Get all necessary bloodwork done as mentioned above, treat HL if occuring, and make sure coagulation tests are done prior to any biopsy.

I hope this is not neoplasia, but left untreated on an unfounded hunch is not a good approach. Again, owner should get consult immediately with a veterinary gastroenterologist/hepatologist right away.

[Tina B and crew]

Thanks Traci...I haven't heard any more from here but I went ahead and passed your info on to her. It sounds like she isn't very hopeful a this point from her last communication.

[Traci]

I hope it's not neoplasia, Tina, but if she were my kitty, I would want to approach whatever I could at this point. Unfortunately, a biopsy sounds necessary, and there's always a chance it is cystic rather than neoplastic.

I'm keeping kitty in my thoughts and prayers, (((((HUGS)))))

[Tina B and crew]

I think she's a bit overwhelmed by it all right now...but she did tell me that the only thing she remembers the vet mentioning with the blood tests was the liver enzymes. I'll try to get her to get some more info if I can....