Diagnosis: The Big C.

Because I'm a veterinarian I can expedite some of the steps to getting a diagnosis of a problem, but just like any pet owner I can't necessarily expedite the emotional processing of the information.

The feelings come in waves from denial to acceptance to grieving. There's a feeling of something being stolen from me; a betrayal. This was not the plan. Cody was supposed to get stem cell therapy for his arthritis and live to be 16 years old. Now that is not possible because stem cell therapy is contraindicated in patients with cancer (can make the cancer grow).

On July 25th the radiologist performed a fine needle aspirate (FNA) of the mass. Since the tumor is big and is located right up against the body wall, this was a relatively easy procedure. Cody was heavily sedated and a large gauge needle was inserted into the tumor from the outside of his chest. Several small core samples were obtained and shipped off to the lab for histopathology.

I got the results on the 27th. The pathologist's diagnosis is papillary bronchogenic pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Well, this was the expected diagnosis because this type of tumor is the most common primary lung tumor in dogs. As I collect the cold hard facts from reliable sources the reality of the situation is sinking in. According the the numbers, the best case scenario is that Cody will be with me another 494 days, or approximately 16 & 1/2 months after surgery and chemotherapy.

There are a number of factors to consider that help to stage the cancer. Cody appears to be a T1 which means there is only the 1 solitary tumor. There's no evidence of metastasis either to other lung lobes or to lymph nodes (that was determined with the CT scan and an abdominal ultrasound). These tumors are also graded as well, moderately or poor differentiated. A T1, well differentiated tumor has the best prognosis.

I'm polling my co-workers and others in the business to find a surgeon. There is a surgeon about 45 minutes away who comes highly recommended. I will contact her this next week to talk about surgery. I'm fairly certain I will proceed with surgery. I'm not sure about chemotherapy. If I do nothing eventually the tumor will cause fluid to develop around Cody's lungs making it very hard for him to breath. It is hard to say when that might happen. These tumors grow slowly and according the the oncologist some dogs live another 1-2 years even without doing anything.