Mouth cancer in cats is a serious health issue, and it’s important to be able to detect and treat it as early as possible. This blog post will discuss the symptoms of cat mouth cancer, how it is diagnosed, and the various treatment options available. We hope that this information will help you keep your cat healthy and happy!
- What is cat mouth cancer?
- What are the signs and symptoms?
- How to Diagnose Feline Mouth Cancer
- How is it treated, and what are the chances of survival?
- How to keep your cat healthy and reduce the risk of cancer?
- The cost of treatment for cat mouth cancer
- Ways to help support a cat with mouth cancer
What is cat mouth cancer?
Mouth cancer is a serious health issue affecting cats of all ages. Oral squamous cell carcinoma is cancer of the oral cavity’s lining, including the gingiva (gums), tongue, palate, and tonsils. It’s the most common type of mouth cancer in cats. Tumor cells are locally invasive and can spread into the upper or lower jawbones. At the time of diagnosis, the rate of metastasis in the oral cavity is minimal. The lymph nodes of the head and neck and the lungs are the most usual sites of metastasis.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Many would assume that an oral tumor’s initial indicators are loss of appetite or weight loss. Cats, however, are hesitant to eat because the tumor is unpleasant, not because they aren’t hungry. They may approach their food dish and try to eat, but they merely sniff the food and do not consume it.
You could see clinical signs of blood-tinged saliva around their lips, blood in their food/water dish, or blood around their front paws. They may have a bad stench on their breath, or they may show indications of face or jaw enlargement.
Oral tumors are not always evident during an awake check. In discomfort, cats will not allow their owners or vets to examine into their mouths.
The most common symptom of feline oral squamous cell carcinoma is a lump or mass on the gums, lips, or tongue with facial swelling. Other symptoms can include bleeding from the mouth, difficulty eating or swallowing, and pawing at the face or mouth.
If you notice any of these symptoms in your cat, it is important to take them to the veterinarian for diagnosis. Oral squamous cell carcinoma can be diagnosed through a physical examination and biopsy of the tumor. Treatment options under veterinary medicine vary depending on the stage and severity of cancer, but they may include surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.
How to Diagnose Feline Mouth Cancer
The first step in identifying oral squamous cell carcinoma is to perform a thorough oral examination.
Giving your cat a short-acting sedative before a full oral exam is required. While a needle aspirate of the mass is an option, a biopsy that’s done while the cat is sedated or under anesthesia is the best way to get a firm diagnosis.
A little piece of tissue is removed from the mass during an incisional biopsy, whereas the entire mass is attempted to be removed during an excisional biopsy.
A CT scan is usually required to establish the degree of the condition following a thorough oral exam. Without a CT scan, there’s a good possibility your vet surgeon won’t entirely eliminate the tumor through surgery, and there’ll be a recurrence.
Blood testing to check overall health and chest x-rays to assess illness spread are two more diagnostic procedures. If feasible, the lymph nodes in the region should be carefully palpated and cytologically evaluated.
How is it treated, and what are the chances of survival?
Surgery
Wide surgical resection is recommended given the high rate of local tumor recurrence with incomplete resection. This means removing large portions of the cat’s jaw for some tumors. This is often impossible given the size of the tumor relative to the size of the cat’s mouth. Cats with slow tumor growth located along the front of their lower jaw have a better prognosis because surgery is more likely to be an option.
Radiation Therapy
If a tumor is incompletely removed, definitive radiation therapy can help prevent or delay regrowth. Radiation therapy consists of daily treatments for several weeks.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy options include injectable drugs (carboplatin, mitoxantrone, others) or an oral drug (Palladia®). Most tumor growth does not shrink with these treatments. For cats eating and drinking and engaging in normal behaviors such as grooming and interacting with owners, chemotherapy can be used to stabilize tumors and provide a prolonged good quality of life.
Palliative Care
Palliative care consists of oral pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs with or without palliative radiation therapy. Administering medications is difficult because affected cats are sensitive around their mouths and usually do not eat well. Feeding tubes can be placed to facilitate nutrition as well as to provide an avenue for administering medication. Owners must keep in mind that cats with oral squamous cell carcinoma that do not eat voluntarily are in pain, regardless of whether there’s a feeding tube in place or not.
Prognosis
The prognosis is dismal because there are no effective therapy options for cats with oral cancer.
With surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, the prognosis is similar, with less than 10% of cats living one year after diagnosis.
The overall prognosis is determined by the size, location, and presence of metastasis at the time of diagnosis.
How to keep your cat healthy and reduce the risk of cancer
There are several things you can do to help keep your cat healthy and reduce cancer risk. Feed your cat a good quality diet, provide plenty of water, and ensure your cat gets regular exercise. You should also have your cat’s teeth checked regularly by a veterinarian, as dental disease is a common cause of mouth cancer in cats.
The cost of treatment for cat mouth cancer
The cost of treatment for cat mouth cancer can vary depending on the type of treatment used. Surgery typically costs the most, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Palliative care is often the least expensive option.
Ways to help support a cat with mouth cancer
There are several ways you can help support a cat with mouth cancer.
- You should ensure the cat has a good quality diet and plenty of water.
- Help keep the cat comfortable by providing a soft place to sleep, regular massages, and gentle hair brushing.
- If the cat is having difficulty eating, you can try to tempt it with moist food or warmed-up canned food.
- You can also administer medication through a feeding tube if necessary.
- It is important to provide emotional support to both the cat and the owner.
It’s important to know what you’re up against when it comes to oral squamous cell carcinoma in cats. We hope this article has given you some information, and we wish you the best of luck with your kitty! Please feel free to leave comments below if there are any questions or clarifications that need addressing. Aside from surgery for cats, to know more information regarding plastic surgery for us humans, please book an appointment with a plastic surgeon in Bondi Junction at Refine Clinic. Thanks for reading.
References:
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/oral-tumors-in-cats-an-overview
