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Mast Cell Tumor In Cat Ear

by cchcs21 - June 22, 2009

Kiki is a stray cat of unknown age (5 plus?) - DSH F/S who was seen in Nov 2008 for a bleeding mass in the right ear pinna. It was remove and histopath came back as mast cell tumor. The margins were not clean, given the area it was removed from.

Recently, she started to grow a mass (ulcerated) in her right ear, at the base of the pinna. It was the same in appearance as the other, just closer to the base of the ear. It was removed but owner declined histopath this time.

She is an outside cat that the owner still considers a "stray" although she has been doing her vaccines and feeding her. So, it is difficult to access her litterbox habits, as she is outside. She does eat well and is overweight. She is rather inactive as far as the owners knows. She has a nice personality and the owner feels that she could get meds into her if there was something that could be done to prevent recurrance of another growth (this is her primary concern).

Would hoxsey like formula be a good choice here (given the cancer) or focus in on a blood formula given that the lesions were ulcerated?

Thanks!
Also, FYI the number of characters on your email line doesn't allow my email to fit into the space. Is there someway to fix this? My email is housecallvet@sbcglobal.net and the last letter doesn't fit into the line. Thanks!

Thanks

by

June 22, 2009

I'm not sure if Steve is on vacation yet, but if I may provide some help...
MCT are typically Blood stagnation in the skin, with an underlying Blood deficiency manifesting as inability to getBlood to and moving in the skin. I thhink that Dr. Marsden's "mast cell tumor" modification of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (100 gm + 15 gm each San Leng and E Zhu) would be indicated. The XFZYT should be effective in the head/ears.
There may be some Damp Heat as well, but I don't see it anywhere else in your description.
As the underlying cause of Blood deficiency is SPleen Qi deficiency, I would address the diet and try to change to at least a holistic canned food, e.g. Innova EVO, to increase the protein content and get rid of the carbs.
A spleen Qi tonic would be useful, in a small amount until you know whether tonification at this point will not tonify the tumor. Si Miao San will tonify the SPleen and clear Damp Heat, also has anti-neoplastic effects (red tongue). Shi Quan Da Bu Wan tonifies Qi and Blood, also has some anti-neoplastic properties. Careful, can be warming (ppale tongue). See what tongue and pulse tell you..
Don't forget antioxidants, omega 3's (fish oil) and medicinal mushrooms for cancer too.
One last note, if this is an area you can keep covered, Neoplastene (bloodroot salve) might be an option to remove the tumor non-surgically. It involves a lot of "babysitting" though, but I've used it for appendicular MCT in animals that can't withstand surgery.
PS. Can't help with the email address....
All the best, Jodi

by naturevet

June 22, 2009

Hi there,

I agree with Jodi that, until proven otherwise, XFZYT is the place to start, with San Leng and E Zhu added into it ideally.

The strong ulcerative nature of the tumor concerns me. It's a sign of extreme Heat, so something like Hoxsey (that also has moving properties) is a good idea. I'd use the two together.

Diet change is clearly indicated, and of course, if vaccinations are 'coming due', they should be delayed. As Jodi mentioned, going towards a lower carb higher protein content would help to subdue the inflammation, ulceration, and even potentially the tumor growth.

Tonics may be helpful down the road, but personally, I like to wait and see if they're needed, particularly given the potential downside here (an aggravation of an ulcerated tumor). Often, the Spleen in cats (especially one that is this hot) is not truly weakened, so much as doing an inferior job due to an inappropriate diet. Warming tonics are much more likely to be beneficial if the animal is chilly and not displaying heat signs like this one.

Lastly, if you can get the mass 'cooled down' then bloodroot salves can be very helpful. They should be used with caution in an inflammed lesion, since they promote inflammation themselves, at least in my experience.

Good luck with the case.

I think I've fixed the email bug.

Steve

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