Bone Marrow Cancer

[LisaT.]

Hi! I have an 11 yr old cat named Beamer, who has recently been diagnosed with Bone Marrow Cancer. He is being given Prednisone and an iv drip that is supposed to make his bones stronger. My question is, how will I know if he's in pain? His right forearm has the tumor, and his bone is pretty much ravaged, so he is walking around on one bone on that leg. He was limping previously, but not right now. I think there is another tumor behind his ear. How will I know if my cat is suffering? I don't want him to suffer at all. Should I forego the iv drip and Prednisone so he can have a natural death, or keep it going and make him able to walk better for the next few months? I don't know what to do. He's my baby.

 

[JessyAnn]

I'm so sorry to hear about what Beamer and you are going through right now . As cat lovers we have special hearts , loving our furry family members as much as we do we always want what is best for them even if we seldom can know what their wishes are. Cats (in my experience) are more likely to hide their pain and it can be very challenging to know how bad it has gotten. My cat Buddy was ill for a long time but we never knew until it was too late. He had stopped grooming himself and withdrew from socializing . The vet said it was likely that this was him trying to tell us something was wrong but we couldn't know if he was suffering or not. Have you thought about speaking to your Vet about their opinion on what would be the kindest and most humane thing to do? I know that you love Beamer and don't want to loose him but you have also expressed you don't want him to suffer more than is necessary . In the end I'm sure with a vets advice and some soul searching you will make the right decision for both you and your beloved fur baby whatever that choice is.

 

[LisaT.]

Thank you, JessyAnn. I will contact my vet. I appreciate your response!

 

[JessyAnn]

You're very welcome, LisaT. My best to you and Beamer

 

[LisaT.]

Beamer was diagnosed with Bone Marrow Cancer, or Multiple Myeloma, as the oncologist put it (he said both) on 8/31/17. The oncologist looked at him and due to the tumor on his right forearm and the x-rays of the cancer, gave him 4 months to live. However, he is eating and drinking, wanting pettings, going outside for walks, not limping anymore, playing with my other cat, grooming himself, and going in the box. He doesn't seem sick.
Could the oncologist have been incorrect about how much time he has? Has anyone been through this? Could the steroids be keeping him healthy?

 

[LisaT.]

Beamer was diagnosed with Bone Marrow Cancer, or Multiple Myeloma, as the oncologist put it (he said both) on 8/31/17. The oncologist looked at him and due to the tumor on his right forearm and the x-rays of the cancer, gave him 4 months to live. However, he is eating and drinking, wanting pettings, going outside for walks, not limping anymore, playing with my other cat, grooming himself, and going in the box. He doesn't seem sick.
Could the oncologist have been incorrect about how much time he has? Has anyone been through this? Could the steroids be keeping him healthy?

I was wrong about a tumor on his ear. There is nothing there.

 

[foxxycat]

The prednisolone is probably helping with pain and inflammation. The steroids absolutely helping to keep him comfortable. I wouldn't discontinue them even when it's time. The meds help his appetite and pain control. It also has properties where it can stop or reduce the growth of the cancer. How much are they giving him a day?

I also had a kitty pass from suspected bone cancer-she had anemia and wasn't producing the right kind of proteins-the PCR test showed they were blank copies of this essential protein...I didn't pursue any treatment-at the time I didn't know what to do..

Does your cat have anemia? I hope you get many more weeks with your baby!

 

[LisaT.]

Unfortunately, I don't know what the dosage is of the Prednisolone. I also don't know if he's anemic. Neither my vet or the oncologist have said anything about that.
Thank you, foxxycat!!

 

[foxxycat]

Is he on pill form of pred or is it liquid? Pills come 5 mg. I wouldn't be surprised if they have him on 5mg or 10 mg a day. It definitely helps. If he's anemic-he would be tired, cold and gums are pale color. Just check the gums=if nice pink then nope no anemia to deal with.

 

[LisaT.]

He is on 7.5 mg of Prednisone. Pill form. I will definitely check his gums tonight to see if they're pale. Thank you!!

 

[foxxycat]

that's a good middle of the road dose. It is definitely helping!

 

[happilyretired]

I have not had a cat with your problem, but my last 2 cats died of kidney failure, and, like you, I wanted to minimize their suffering as much as possible when it was obvious that they were terminal. At that point, I just thought of our time together as 'hospice care,' making them as comfortable as possible. Deciding when it's 'time' to euthanize is never easy, but I've had support of my vet in making that decision. I read something online that has helped me--'A good death is the final gift you can give to your cat.'

I hope you still have many good days together.

 

[Geoffrey]

Unfortunately I have recently been in hospital and have not been able to post since June due to ongoing ill-health, however I am now much improved and able to resume my interests in cat affairs

As I have mentioned before, I am a human specialist physician in Internal Medicine, not a veterinarian, but have considerable experience in oncology, including the management of human multiple myeloma. I understand that the pathology of feline myeloma is not too dissimilar to the human disease, but your vet should be able to give you information about the ways that the management of the feline disease differs. Obviously the prognosis will be shorter due to the size differences between humans and cats. Humans respond well in the short term to a drug called Melphalan, you could ask your vet about this.

Multiple Myeloma (which means 'many tumours of the bone marrow') is a malignancy that causes the production of a specific blood protein called a 'para-protein'. The para-protein increases the viscosity of the blood and can cause damage to the red blood cells with anaemia. Damage to the blood platelets may also cause bleeding (which unfortunately can be quickly fatal if this occurs in the brain). Myeloma is rare in cats, I understand that it occurs in about 1%.

The bone marrow is situated in the centre of the bones and therefore can cause bony pain. The presence of bony damage is a factor in one of the classifications ('staging') of the degree of malignancy of multiple myeloma. Staging is of great value in deciding how to treat the patient.

In humans:
Stage 1 is "No bone damage"
Stage 2 is "Bony damage.
Stage 3 is "Kidney damage" due to the para-protein.

From my 55 years experience of being owned by cats, I can tell you that you should never try to treat your cat yourself, particularly as cats often conceal pain well. From your description it appears that Beamer is certainly at Stage 2 and it depends on his kidney function whether he is at Stage 3. Your vet will be able to advise you what is his kidney function. He may be in pain but your vet is the only person able to advise you on this.

The possibly good news is that Beamer is still eating and playing and I doubt whether this would be if he were to be in significant pain. Have a talk to your vet. You should certainly NOT cease any treatment without talking to your vet.

As for how long Beamer has to live; this is a very difficult issue. We lost Rupert, our 14 year old Siamese at the end of 2016 due to kidney failure; he lived, on dietary treatment for 3 months after diagnosis, so a prognosis of 4 months or so in August could quite likely be accurate. It may well be dependent on Beamer's kidney function and whether he is in pain or not - according to your vet.

With all best wishes to you both,
Geoffrey

 

[LisaT.]

Thank you so much for your reply, Geoffrey!

 

[Bailey Bills]

My cat was diagnosed yesterday based off plasma tumor in spleen (monoclonal). He’s had bone marrow tests done which don’t reveal any plasma or neoplasm but they did find evidence of necrosis. He’s on prednisone 10 mg twice a day for the past four weeks until we got the diagnosis. The vet in oncology is recommending melphalan. Have you started? I have been emotionally in the gutter and looking for others that may have or are currently experiencing this.

 

[LisaT.]

Beamer has been taking Prednisolone as a steroid and Buprenex for pain. Both of these have helped him a lot. I haven't had him on Melphalan as I've stopped taking him to the oncologist. He's in the 4th month of his prognosis (He was given 4 months to live) and he really isn't showing any devastating signs. I've noticed that he's eating and urinating a little less, but not that much.
I'm scared that he's being very stoic, so I don't know how he's really doing. I think and pray that he might have a few more months left.

 

[LisaT.]

Judging by what Geoffrey wrote, Beamer is in Stage 3 of kidney damage.

 

[Bailey Bills]

Hi everyone, I’m writing to find out if anyone had issues with platelets/wbc dropping and having to discontinue chemo? Bailey was diagnosed in December with myeloma and we have him on 7.5 mg twice a day. We originally had him on Melphalan .5 mg daily for 10 days then every other day until he developed low wbc. We then switched him to leukeran 2 mg every other day and after 5 doses his platelets dropped to 18. We have stopped chemo and they’re slowly going back up but his red blood cells have been consistently low. The doc says he may not be a good candidate for chemo due to suppression but I feel we should have dropped the dose or went every 3 days. He’s lost a considerable amount of weight in the past week but he did have a respiratory infection. I’m trying to have hope that we can get his cancer under control. Anyone have similar experience?