Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / April 2006

.............how is he basing the diagnosis without any kind of biopsy?

..........what it costs depends on what your vet is charging.
.........if it really is osteosarcoma, then pain is the  number one issue.
Bone cancer is very painful.  Amputation or nothing.  I don't think there
are any in between options that make any sense.  If your vet can't seem to
communicate the information you need to make a decision, I'd consult with an
oncologist.  No one can give you any guarantees, but people who work with
this every day can give you a better idea of what the outcomes may be.  If
the general overall health of your cat is good, then amputation is a
possibility.  Cats, especially, do very well with 3 legs.  Doesn't
necessarily mean it will be a cure though.  Every animal is different.

best of luck to you and your kitty
buglady
take out the dog before replying

This is a misconception.  There is no visible evidence of spread to the
lungs.  The tumors have to be a certain size before we can see them, and
microscopic disease can exist and not be seen.  You have to prepare yourself
for the fact you may treat this and tumor shows up in the lungs.

Don't mean to be flippant, but as much as it does.  It'll depend on
location, who is doing it, etc...

Same again.  Hind legs are more expensive than forelimbs if you have to
disarticulate the hip joint.  Surgical therapy aimed at bone tumors goes one
joint above the affected area, so it may depend on the location of the
tumor.

Well, the best outcome is a diagnosis:>.  You didn't say where the tumor is,
but this tumor weakens the bone as does the biopsy, so pathologic fracture
would be a possible outcome.

It'll begin to hurt.  Bad.  It may metastasize.

If you are going to biopsy, you should be willing to amputate.  If you won't
amputate under any circumstance, why do such an invasive procedure?  Outcome
same as #1.

I'm not an oncologist, but I'd imagine this is the best option for
palliative, and possibly curative therapy, especially if combined with
chemo.  The met rate for this tumor in a cat is not well established, but a
plain osteosarc has about a 16% met rate and a 2 year median survival with
treatment.

I would doubt this would occur.  Bone tumors hurt, and the tumor eventually
erodes so much bone that just standing can cause it to break.

IMHO, ask for a referal to an oncologist.  They deal with this stuff all the
time and can probably answer your questions more fully.  They also probably
work with a boarded surgeon who can answer your questions about the
amputation surgery.