Lymphoma is a cancer arising from the
lymphocyte, which is one of the body’s white cells involved in the
immune system. Lymphocytes are normally present throughout the body
in all the tissues. They circulate in the blood stream as well as
the lymphatic system. Lymphocytes are rapidly reproducing cells,
which give them the ability to increase their numbers when there is
a threat to the body. Because they reproduce so frequently, they
are more likely to develop mutations, which can lead to the
development of cancer.
When lymphocytes
become cancerous the severity of their transformation can vary to
mildly cancerous (where the cancerous cells resemble the original
cells and don’t do too much damage) to severely malignant where the
cells do not resemble the original cells at all. When the cancerous
cells are “small cell” they are one of the more mild forms of this
cancer. Fortunately, cats with this type of cancer tend to respond
well to drug therapy.
What are the
symptoms of small cell lymphoma?
The symptoms
that occur with small cell lymphoma vary with the organ system that
is affected. Since the lymphocytes are present in virtually all the
body’s organs, the cancer can strike anywhere. The most common form
of this cancer affects the gastrointestinal tract. When this occurs
the following signs are present:
- Lack of
appetite
- Weight Loss
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
How do we
make the diagnosis of Small Cell Lymphoma?
There are many other diseases that present
with similar symptoms so we must run a battery of tests to diagnose
this disease. These tests generally include:
- Blood Tests
- Urine tests
- Radiographs
of the chest and belly
- Ultrasound
of the abdomen
These tests
will help us rule out other causes of the disease. Ultimately, we
must obtain biopsies of the affected organs to make a definitive
diagnosis of this disease. This generally requires exploratory
surgery during which the entire abdomen can be inspected and multiple
tissue samples can be obtained for laboratory analysis. It is not
uncommon for multiple organs to be affected by this disease due to the
wide distribution of the lymphocyte in the body .
How do we treat
Small Cell Lymphoma?
Small cell lymphoma
is one of the most treatable cancers in the cat. Most cats can achieve
remission (not cure) from the disease with the aid of drug therapy. In
most cases this will involve the use of prednisone and chlorambucil
which are potent anti-cancer drugs. Sometimes more aggressive therapy
with multiple drugs may be warranted depending on the grading of the
cancer based on biopsy.
Vitamin
supplementation by injection may be warranted and special hypoallergenic
food may be helpful.
Most cats tolerate
these drugs well but there may be side effects associated with them. In
particular, depression of the bone marrow is a serious side effect,
which can occur. As a result, we must monitor the blood on these
patients on a regular basis.
What is the
prognosis?
Cats vary in how
quickly they respond to therapy. Some may improve within days of
initiating therapy, but some cats may take up to 3-4 weeks to fully
respond to the therapy. Ultimately most of them will respond. Once they
do, the symptoms will reduce significantly or even go away. Some cats
may require more aggressive therapy if the initial therapy fails to
resolve the symptoms. Many cats can live for a number of years with
this disease providing appropriate monitoring and therapy are
maintained.
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