Abdominal liquid mass. Anyone?

Jcatbird

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My cat has been having issues with comstipation. A Sunday emergency visit revealed a small lump inside her colon. This lead to an aspiration and Ultrasound (abnormal cells seen) and finally to an Internal medicine specialist who was to do a colonoscopy for a better look and biopsy. Fortunately the specialist is very good. He suggested a second ultrasound to see if anything had changed since the first one and before doing the colonoscopy. I agreed. Upon results of ultrasound he called me. He felt the colonoscopy would not show us what we need as the mass appeared to be in the abdominal wall. Again, I agreed and no colonoscopy was done. He got us a quick referral out of state to a vet school. We went yesterday. Findings of an ultrasound were a liquid mass in her abdomen. It is surrounding her main blood vessel and against the abdominal wall. The fluid mass has been pushing against her colon but has not closed it off. Yet. There are smaller blood vessels going through the mass as well. The oncologist called it , “ weird!” A sample by aspiration was taken. I wait for results. Surgery may or may not be an option. Because this surrounds the aortic vessel, this is a difficult issue. Because it leaves no space to put a barrier by the abdominal wall after removal. Cells may remain. On the ultrasound this just looks like a foggy fluid. The oncologist tells me the decision not to do the colonoscopy was a very good one! Depending on the results of aspiration cells, we will have a better idea of how to proceed. It may be surgery, chemo or radiation. I don’t know the prognosis yet but wondering if anyone out there has ever experienced anything similar and if they did the treatment. If so, was quality of life extended (how long) and how hard was chemo or radiation on the kitty?
This has all transpired within a span of only a few weeks and I expect to have to make decisions quickly. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

For others, I will post updates as we have them and learn about this problem.
 

stephanietx

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My girl ended up with intestinal lymphoma and fluid in her abdomen from it. We made the painful decision to end her suffering because she had stopped eating. It was very sudden. She stopped eating on a Wednesday and she passed on Saturday.
 
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Jcatbird

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stephanietx stephanietx I am so very sorry. You made the hard decision and the most generous one for her. I know how hard that is for us to do.
So far Banjo is eating very well and all systems are still functioning. She is on Lactulose to keep from being constipated. We don’t know yet if the mass is benign but should know more soon. Like you, I don’t want to prolong suffering. Exploring options, if there are any. Thank you for answering me. :hugs:
 

maggiedemi

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FeebysOwner

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I have never heard or seen of anything remotely close to this but wanted to ask if there has been any consideration given to drawing out some fluid (via ultrasound guidance) when/if appropriate just to help relieve any pressure there might be until you have had a chance to absorb/digest all of this and make plans on how to proceed. It has been a ton of years since Tawny was diagnosed with wet FIP (not saying it is the same, as it would seem maybe not) and we did have fluid drawn out to help him while we got our arms around the entire matter. If they could do it then (1991), they certainly have to be much better and more precise with this practice now.

Glad you will be keeping us posted. I hope to hear you receive news of viable/treatable options for Banjo.
 
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Jcatbird

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FeebysOwner FeebysOwner Thank you. This is weird and I don’t know either. It could be wet FIP but I think the specialists are thinking cancer. I have found some links between severe allergens causing lymphocytes to rise along with Basophils but her blood work is not showing that. This is weird to me because nearly every cat in this place has been showing itching since late winter. At first I thought fleas but that has been ruled out now. Advantage and then Bravecto for all as well as vet checks for all. I lost her Dad in December shortly after the itching began but he had survived heart worms, had FIV and then dental surgery only to go down rapidly with a tumor on his kidney. We all felt he had just battled too much considering the FIV. Now I wonder if there is more to the story. Then with itching being in so many, I thought food. Cats were declining the foods they love. I changed the food. They ate but again, itch! So, then I caught a very strange odor from unscented litter. It smelled like onions! I have tossed two hundred plus pounds of litter and as soon as I did, cats began running to the new litter. I have a call in to the supplier who wants to discuss formula change with manufacturers. In the meantime, Banjo got constipated. I thought she had just been avoiding the litter. Apparently not. No more onion smell. Weird. I am seeing a lot of people reporting itching in their cats lately. Simple seasonal? Not here. At least not in winter.
I reported the itch to the vet school. They did clean her ears but she still shakes her head a bit. Itching in general seems to be less here. I am gearing up to scrub down every surface near where litter dust could have hit. I will be asking for further bloodwork to check for possible lymphocyte, basophils or WBC changes.
You and I had the same thought. Can they just draw out this fluid? At least for now? IDK but it is on my list to ask. This seems to have struck everyone as a very strange occurrence. Three vets and three other specialists so far. The mass in the abdomen did not show up on X-rays or the first ultrasound. A small pea shaped bulge was felt but could not be seen near the rectum at first and that started the detective work. That was aspirated first and was simply odd looking cells. Maybe it is something that just presented oddly. Cats are always different. I hope it will turn out well. It will be a learning experience for us all.
 

artiemom

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I am so sorry to hear about this.. It does sound a bit confusing.. The part about it being liquid with blood vessels does not really make much sense to me... Unless it is a huge lymph node(s) scanning as fluid.. as it degenerates.. with a blood supply.. I just remembered a case of mine having a cyst with a feeding blood vessel. I forget the outcome, but I do not think it is good.

Or could it be stemming from the kidney? Or is it fully attached to the walls of the aorta and colon? That is the puzzling part.

Sorry If I am sounding technical and quizzing you.. I am a retired Ultrasound Tech.
💕💕💕
 
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Jcatbird

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artiemom artiemom Thank you! Quizzing is great! It gets us thinking and questioning so we may find the clues needed to get answers. Please continue! We are learning as we go. Everyone is puzzled right now.
I sat with the vet and looked as she explained the CT results. We don’t know if this mass is attached. It surrounds the aortic vessel, it is against the abdominal wall and it has blood vessels through it. We can clearly see organs, lungs and other vital parts are clear. A small bit of fat at liver but not much. The kidneys appeared okay. Lymph nodes that she pointed out seemed okay but, there are a lot of them, aren’t there? On the scan this just looked like murky fluid. A cloud. It seemed to me, that it was tightening the colon but vet said that the colon is still open. For now. The internal specialist said it appeared to him that this could compare to a ballon. If you had an air filled ballon and there was pressure on one part, a bulge would form elsewhere. On Banjo, the bulge seemed to be in the lining of the abdominal wall on ultrasound and the bulge was pushing against her colon.This was causing the problem pushing out her stool. On CT scan, it appears the ballon is not inside the lining wall but inside the abdomen. There is nothing solid in this mass at this time. If you have ever seen a building that has a cloud around the middle of it with the top and bottom of the building visible, that’s what it reminded me of on the CT. I wish I had tech experience too. I appreciate any and all input!
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

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Jcatbird Jcatbird I pray that this is benign. I lost one of my cats to stomach cancer. So I know how worried you are about Banjo. Please hang in there.

In cats, the next most common tumors include leiomyosarcomas, adenocarcinomas, mast cell tumors, plasmacytomas, carcinoids, GISTS, and others. Cats can also, but less commonly, develop benign tumors, including adenomatous polyps, adenomas, and leiomyomas.

What you mentioned about blood vessels being wrapped around the tumor had me researching some more. I came across Visceral Vascualar tumors. There are two types one is benign, the other malignant.

Visceral vascular tumors are tumors that develop from the blood vessels found in the internal organs of the body, most commonly the heart, liver, and spleen, although other locations, such as the urinary bladder and stomach are possible. The spleen, which is a blood-filtering organ, is the most common organ affected with these tumors. Essentially, wherever there are blood vessels, there is the chance for vascular tumors to develop.

There are two forms of visceral vascular tumors: hemangiomas and hemangiosarcomas. Hemangiomas are benign. They can be thought of as a large blood blister. Hemangiosarcomas are malignant and can spread to other parts of the body.

I hope this helps. I struggled posting this. I have been where you are and it is an emotional rollercoaster. Many are with you here. You are not alone. Hugs. :hugs: :grouphug2:
 
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Jcatbird

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Whenallhellbreakslose Whenallhellbreakslose Thank you! Please don’t put yourself through more. I know how reliving a trauma can put us in a tough place. The info is very helpful. We are hoping for something benign. Anything benign. I will be looking at everything mentioned and sending sweet dreams to you.
 
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Jcatbird

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neely neely Yes it does help. They were very attentive there and seemed very caring of Banjo. I think they are also interested to figure this out. It is all a blessing that we were very fortunate to receive. It has been a series of things happening at the right moment with the right people and the right places for Banjo. I actually counted how many people have already been involved in getting us to this point through the medical process and transport/kitty sitter and it is 21! 21 people have had hands on with her and the Clowder to get us this far. That is a lot of caring people. If we add all the people here giving help and all the prayers, my hope is that something will work. Thank you!
 
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Jcatbird

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Maria Bayote Maria Bayote I am so sorry that you returned to see this after being away. This is not the kind of thing I hoped to greet you with after your journey. I had hoped it would all be sorted out before then. We have had lots of medical help and lots of good wishes, hope and prayers so I still hold faith that we may find answers or solutions. When we first discovered there was a mass, the doctors envisioned a large tumor. This is not what we expected. We wait for more information and do not know anything for sure yet except that whatever it is, it is presenting oddly. Perhaps prayers, hopes and wishes are helping Banjo. She is content, active and not exhibiting pain. She is eating very well and all systems are functioning. Thank you my dear friend for adding your prayers. :hugs:
 
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