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Grade 1 Mast Cell Tumor

Mookie

Hello,
I have a quick question regarding my 9 year old pug. We recently noticed a mole on my pug’s penis that has not been there previously. We immediately made an appointment with our vet. Our vet suggested we have it removed and sent off for a biopsy, which we did. The results came back as being a Grade 1 Mast Cell Tumor. Also, the only follow up we have is to closely monitor the area of our pug. They said no blood work or additional treatment was necessary at this time.
Does this seem to be the appropriate path of treatment? I don't know whether to take their advice and just sit and wait, or should we try to be more proactive and try to prevent this from re-occurring somehow...if possible.

Thank you for your help!
Jared

• Experienced Advisor Brian Spar says:

  January 23rd, 2008 at 03:23 AM

  Hi Jared, In general, a Grade 1 MCT is quite localized to the one area, and if removed with adequate borders, may even be curative. Your options are 1) To monitor for any lumps anywhere on your dog (not just in the area which had the lump removed), and be extremely proactive about anything suspicious. This is quite reasonable considering it was a Grade 1. The other options are quite in depth, and involve bloodwork, xrays, ultrasounds and bone marrow biopsies to ensure there has been no spread anywhere else. It sounds like that may be a bit of overkill for this particular tumor, but it is an option nonetheless. The bottom line is that nothing you do is guaranteed to prevent the recurrence of cancer - you can just be as proactive as possible and enjoy Mookie every day. Hope this helps!

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• Jared says:

  January 23rd, 2008 at 04:36 AM

  Thank you very much for the quick response back. I think my main concern is was enough of the surrounding tissue removed. Our vet said they would have to remove the mole-like object first, and then send it in for analysis. According to the histopath report, "In the examined tissue section, nearest clean deep and lateral margin measures 0.1 cm." After doing some research, I have learned much more tissue is normally removed when dealing with MCT's. Anywhere from 1 cm to 3 cm. Regardless, I am not sure that was even possible due to the location in the first place. In your opinion, should we try to schedule a second surgery to remove more of the surrounding tissue?

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• Experienced Advisor Brian Spar says:

  January 23rd, 2008 at 01:29 PM

  I think it would be just about impossible to remove that much tissue from the penis - it may be difficult to envision how much tissue 3cm is, but it is a LOT. If the report dictates that there are clean margins in the vicinity of the penis, I would personally be thrilled with that result! If your vet wants to give it a try to remove more tissue, more power to him/her!! But I honestly think you will be just fine with what has already been done. All the best!

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  Crawford Dog and Cat Hospital welcomes you to our website!

  Crawford Dog and Cat Hospital in Garden City Park, NY is a full service companion animal hospital. Our services and facilities are designed to assist in routine preventive care for dogs, cats, puppies and kittens; early detection and treatment of disease as your pet ages; and complete medical and surgical care as necessary during his or her lifetime. We have expanded our Veterinary House Call service. Now Housecalls are not only available in New Hyde Park, Garden City Park, Garden City, Manhasset, Roslyn, and Old Westbury, but our extended range allows us to come to you in all of Nassau County and most of Eastern Queens. House Calls are available by appointment. Our boarding facilities at Black Forest Kennels are the perfect place for your pets to stay while you are away on vacation. Or schedule an appointment to have your pet groomed by Michelle. Check out our coupons for savings.

  

• Jared says:

  January 24th, 2008 at 12:46 AM

  Thank you very much for your help. I really appreciate your time and concern for Mookie! Have a great day!

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• Experienced Advisor Brian Spar says:

  January 24th, 2008 at 01:57 AM

  My pleasure, best of luck!

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  Crawford Dog and Cat Hospital welcomes you to our website!

  Crawford Dog and Cat Hospital in Garden City Park, NY is a full service companion animal hospital. Our services and facilities are designed to assist in routine preventive care for dogs, cats, puppies and kittens; early detection and treatment of disease as your pet ages; and complete medical and surgical care as necessary during his or her lifetime. We have expanded our Veterinary House Call service. Now Housecalls are not only available in New Hyde Park, Garden City Park, Garden City, Manhasset, Roslyn, and Old Westbury, but our extended range allows us to come to you in all of Nassau County and most of Eastern Queens. House Calls are available by appointment. Our boarding facilities at Black Forest Kennels are the perfect place for your pets to stay while you are away on vacation. Or schedule an appointment to have your pet groomed by Michelle. Check out our coupons for savings.