They can be difficult to diagnose from a fine needle aspirate as they shed cells poorly. These are often solitary, variable in size, firm and poorly defined masses often found more under the skin than on the skin. Another malignant skin mass is called a soft tissue sarcoma. Prognosis can be quite variable with mast cell tumors. Some mast cell tumors are curative with surgery alone, others are at high risk for metastasis or recurrence of growth so adjunct chemotherapy or radiation are often needed as part of the treatment plan. For mast cell tumors, surgery tends to involve wide excisions for the best chance of removing all of the cancerous tissue. If a mast cell tumor is confirmed, surgical intervention is often the next step. These can have quite a variable appearance and thus are called “the great pretender.” They are fairly easy to diagnose on fine needle aspirate. One of the more common malignant skin masses seen is called a mast cell tumor. Some are more aggressive in their local growth others can spread or metastasize and cause illness throughout the body. Unfortunately, there are a good number of skin masses that are malignant. If any suspected benign mass does not behave as we expect it to, there is always the option to pursue surgical intervention and this can be discussed with your veterinarian. Warts and histiocytomas can regress on their own so initial recommendations are often to monitor these masses. Lipomas are often slow growing and as long as they do not interfere with the mobility of the pet, we often monitor these types of masses. From that standpoint, we do sometimes recommend surgery to remove benign cysts for the comfort of the pet. Cystic lesions can fluctuate in size and often can rupture and cause secondary infection. Some of the more common benign skin masses we evaluate and diagnose include cystic lesions that arise from hair follicles or oil gland secretions, lipomas or fatty masses, papilloma warts, and histiocytomas. Not only does this approach give greater chance of a definitive diagnosis, it often can be curative. Often, surgical biopsy involves removing the entire mass. In those cases, the next step would be surgical biopsy. There are some cases in which the aspirate results are non-diagnostic. Based on the cytologic interpretation, we often (though not always) can give a very good assessment as to the origin of the mass and as to whether it carries high risk of being cancer. The goal of this test is to send intact cellular material to a pathologist for evaluation. This procedure is called a fine needle aspirate. The most common diagnostic test for skin masses can be done during the office visit and involves minimal pain to the pet and often low risk. Sometimes quiet and slow growing masses can be cancerous which is why we always recommend diagnostic testing. So just because a mass looks nasty, doesn’t mean it is always cancer! Unfortunately, the opposite can also be said. Some benign lumps appear small and quiet, others can grow quickly and rupture or cause irritation to the pet. There are many different types of benign skin masses. For that reason, we often categorize skin masses as benign or malignant. For example, you could categorize based on location, depth, or growth rate, but most owners are just worried about whether or not the lump or bump is cancer. There are several ways to categorize lumps and bumps. This treatment plan could be anything from benign monitoring to aggressive surgical resection to chemotherapy or radiation. Then, based on that information, a treatment plan (including prognosis) can be devised. So if you are worried about a lump or bump on your pet, it is always best to have your pet evaluated so as to determine the best diagnostic test to give you and your veterinarian more information. All are the same in that we as veterinarians can give an educated guess as to what we think the lump or bump might be, but without further testing a definitive diagnosis cannot be obtained. Some bother the pet, others are quiet and nonpainful to the pet. Some are on the skin, some are within the skin and others are under the skin. Some of these masses are slow growing and others pop up relatively quickly. Most of the time they are found incidentally when owners pet or brush their dog or cat. Lumps and bumps are a very common reason we see dogs and cats for evaluation. Veterinary Clinic for Low Income Pet Owners.Vet Services Report Cruelty Animal Advocacy Adopt
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