 Cancer is a term used to describe a disease that is caused by a tumor, or neoplasm, a collection of abnormal cells within the body that continue to grow and divide without control. This usually results in the development of masses, growths or lumps, which are mainly composed of abnormal dividing cells. Some tumors do not spread to other parts of the body and tend not to invade other surrounding tissues, these are termed benign tumors. In contrast to this, the term cancer is generally used to describe malignant tumors, which often do invade surrounding normal healthy tissue, and may spread to other sites in the body, or metastasize, typically spreading via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Because of their more aggressive and invasive nature, malignant tumors, cancers, are generally more serious than benign tumors, often causing more serious and extensive disease, and are generally more difficult to treat. Overall, cats suffer from neoplasia, or the development of tumors less frequently than dogs. Tumors may perhaps be seen less than half as frequently in cats compared with dogs. However, when cats do develop tumors they are much more likely to be malignant, 3-4 times more likely than in dogs, and therefore much more likely to cause serious disease. The most common sites of cancer in cats include the skin, the white blood cells, leukemia and lymphoma, the mouth, the stomach and intestines, and the mammary glands. Types of cancer. There are many different types of cancer, and they are often classified according to the origin of the type of abnormal cell they contain. Thus cancers known as carcinomas and sarcomas are solid tumors that arise from various different tissues, whereas leukemia are cancers that affect the bone marrow where blood cells are produced and often cause large numbers of abnormal cells to appear in the bloodstream. Lymphoma is solid cancer caused by the growth of abnormal lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that can also be found in tissues and is part of the immune system. Because of the enormous variety of cancers that can affect cats, as with any other animal, it is impossible to list all the different types in their common manifestations. However, some of the most commonly encountered cancers include the following. Lymphoma. Squamous cell carcinoma. Basal cell tumor. Mass cell tumor. Mammary carcinoma. Fibrosarcoma. Mammary carcinoma or adenocarcinoma, e.g., affecting lungs, intestine, etc. Osteosarcoma, cancer of the bone. What causes cancer? As is often the case in human medicine, the cause of cancer in any individual cat is often unknown, and indeed many cancers are likely to arise for a number of different reasons. Inherited, genetic, susceptibility to the development of certain tumors almost certainly occurs in cats, although relatively little is known about this at present. During a cat's life, it may potentially be exposed to a number of different things that can trigger abnormalities within cells that may ultimately lead to the development of cancer. This may include exposure to sunlight or to a wide variety of different chemicals, carcinogens, but still, in most individuals, the underlying causes and triggers for cancer remain unknown. We do know that some viral infections in cats can cause cancer, and the feline leukemia virus, Phe LV, is probably the best example of this. Fortunately, infection with this virus is now relatively uncommon in most places. However, when cats are exposed to this virus it can infect the blood-producing cells of the bone marrow and can lead to the development of leukemia or lymphoma. Infection with feline immunodeficiency virus, FIV, related to human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, also on occasion can lead to the development of cancer. Fortunately, it is easy for your vet to test for the presence of both of these viruses. These suggest that compared with an uninfected cat, a cat that is infected with Phe LV has an approximately 50-fold increased risk of developing lymphoma, and a cat infected with FIV has an approximately 5-fold increased risk. When cancer is diagnosed, a natural and common reaction is what have I done wrong? Or what could I have done to have prevented this from happening? While these are entirely natural responses when we first learn that our pet has cancer, it is important to remember that in the vast majority of cases we don't know what will have led to the development of cancer, and therefore it would have been impossible to prevent. Hello. This video is sponsored by Beemix Pets. Are you looking for high quality cat collars at an affordable cost? Check out, BeemixPets.com. Use coupon code KittenLife, to get 20% off. What are the clinical signs of cancer? Because cancers can affect any tissues in the body. The clinical signs that cats develop are extremely diverse and there are no signs that automatically suggest cancer is the cause of the disease. In general, cancers affect older cats more commonly than younger cats. In many cases, cancers will grow over quite a long period of time, and initially, there may just be vague signs of disease such as poor appetite, lack of energy, and weight loss. In other cases, there may be more obvious signs such as persistent lumps in or under the skin, changes in the eyes, vomiting, diarrhea, unexplained bleeding, or wounds that do not heal. As the disease progresses, additional complications will usually develop that often relate to the tissues or organs mainly affected. Although cancer may be one of the potential causes of a variety of different signs, especially in older cats, it is important to remember that many other diseases commonly cause the same signs as cancer in that, even where cancer is diagnosed, there may well be treatment options that will enable control or management of the disease, at least for a period of time. However, as it is important to diagnose cancer early, it is vital to seek veterinary advice as soon as any abnormalities are noticed. How is cancer diagnosed? You or your vet may suspect cancer to be an underlying cause of the clinical signs your cat is showing. However, the clinical signs and examination by your vet alone are not sufficient to be able to diagnose the condition. Additional investigations in the form of radiographs, x-rays, or ultrasound examinations are often needed to identify the location and or the extent of any tumor, but the diagnosis of cancer can only be made by the microscopic examination of tissues by an experienced pathologist. This will usually necessitate a biopsy, surgical removal of a small piece of affected tissue, by your vet, although in some cases it may be possible to make a diagnosis from either a fine needle aspirate, a small needle is inserted into a mass to remove or suck out a few cells that can be smeared on a slide for examination, or a needle biopsy, where a larger needle is inserted into a lump to remove a very small core of tissue. Occasionally other techniques are also used to obtain samples of the suspected abnormal cell so that a diagnosis can be made. Blood samples are a routine part of the investigation of any suspected cancer patient, partly to detect any adverse effects of cancer, and partly to detect the presence of any other disease. With some cancers, occasionally more sophisticated techniques may be required to either make, or confirm, the diagnosis or to plan the most appropriate treatment. Catered axial tosmography, so-called cat or CT scans, or magnetic resonance imaging, MRI scans, are becoming more widely available for pets and can be very valuable, especially, for example, in the diagnosis of brain tumors, and in assessing the extent of tumor invasion. Treatment of Cancer in Cats It is always extremely difficult when you learn that your cat has developed cancer. There are often feelings of bewilderment and even guilt, and it inevitably takes time to come to terms with the disease. Although for most tumors the underlying cause is simply unknown, for many, treatment may be available that will significantly improve both the quality and length of life for the cat. While a diagnosis of cancer is never good news, it is not necessarily a death sentence for a cat. Just as in human medicine, many treatment options are available, although not all cancers respond well to therapy and some may be extremely difficult to manage. If you enjoyed this video, kindly press the like button. Also don't forget to subscribe with notifications on, so that you don't miss out on videos like this. Thank you for watching.