Dr. Todd L. Prince has practiced veterinary medicine since 1984 and holds board certification in small animal care. Dr. Todd Prince focuses much of his work on the treatment of canine and feline cancers.
According to the Animal Cancer Foundation, approximately 20 percent of cats develop cancer at some time in their lives. The three most common are: 1. Lymphoma This is the type of cancer most often diagnosed in cats. It results from excessive replication of the white blood cells and most often affects the nasal cavity, intestines, liver, kidneys, or lymph nodes. Feline lymphoma tends to be highly responsive to chemotherapy, which often leads to remission for two years or more. Vaccinations against feline leukemia virus (FeLV) can help to prevent lymphoma, as the cancer often develops secondary to FeLV infection. 2. Squamous cell carcinoma A cancer of the skin, squamous cell carcinoma typically develops where the skin is exposed to sunlight. It is more prevalent in white-coated cats who live in sunny climates and can be guarded against by keeping cats out of the sun. Squamous cell carcinoma may also develop in the mouth. These are rare but have a particularly poor prognosis. Research is underway to develop new treatments for all manifestations of this condition. 3. Fibrosarcoma This type of cancer originates in the connective tissue and is often known as feline injection-site sarcoma (FISS) because it frequently develops where a cat has received an injection. It is a rare complication, however, affecting as few as one in every 10,000 to 30,000 cats who receive vaccinations. Still, veterinarians often guard against it by limiting the frequency of injections and carefully choosing both the injection site and the composition of the vaccine. Comments are closed.
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