Liver mass removed. Biopsy unclear. 5 years old dog

WARNING IMAGE my 5 years unneutered dog was diagnosed with mass in the liver. After completing needle aspiration no exact type of cells were determined. A completed ultrasound was done showing a mass located around a liver only, no other areas affected. Mass was removed successfully all at once and send for biopsy. Today biopsy results came back and it’s again unclear from the cells what is the exact diagnosis of cancer so they want to do this color deposit test, I forgot exact name. In short they write this “Leo’s liver mass was confirmed to be a poorly differentiated malignant tumor, possibly a hepatocellular carcinoma or a neuroendocrine carcinoma. The tumor extended to the surgical margin, which means complete excision could not be confirmed. Additional testing (immunohistochemistry) is recommended to better define the tumor type and guide prognosis, as discussed by phone. No evidence of vascular invasion was noted.” What to do next ? What are options, maybe even holistic, to make my dog better and have him have good life?

Hello and thank you so much for sharing this difficult case; you may be surprised and upset to receive this resport, which essentially says that cancer tissue was present throughout the biopsy (sample) as sent to the lab.   Your vet will know whether or not they sent all that they removed and should thereby be able to discuss the implications of this.  If this was a surgical border as you suggest, it sounds very likely that there is still cancer within the patient.  Questions that you might ask your vet (they can chat to the lab pathogists should they need clarification) are, ''What are the implications of this for my dog?'  'Are there treatment options and what studies have been done to support them?'    Furthermore, while the exact diagnosis is unclear, 'What will the further tests tell us that we don't already know and what difference will this make practically to the situation at hand?' By asking such questions, you can help your vet to give you the support that you need.

That's a challenging situation! While aggressive treatment might seem necessary, I wonder if focusing on quality of life and palliative care might be a kinder approach, especially given the inconclusive results and the dog's unneutered status. Repeated invasive procedures could be quite stressful for him. I just hope they're considering all options.