Mast Cell Tumour

My dog has just had a lump removed from his neck which he had for a couple years. My vet originally thought it was a cyst that why it wasn't removed initially. I had it sent for testing and come back as a cancerous tumour and not a cyst. They've said its stage 2 mast tumour. Does any vet know what the prognosis of these types of tumours are? What treatment to expect? will be in any pains? anything to look out for? Hes a rescue between 7-10yrs old Staffordshire Bull Terrier My vet said I will find out more next week... however I'm going out my mind.

Hello!  It must be a difficult start to the new year waiting for positive cancer test discussions.  The prognosis for mast cell tumours varies enormously and may to some extent be specific to your dog, the area of the neck involved, how many cancerous cells have been left behind / penetrated more deeply into the lymphatics and whether chemotherapy is an option in this case.   If you type 'mast cell tumour' into the search bar on our blog-page, there is a short article that you may find very interesting to read, explaining a little of the background about these potentially unpleasant lumps.  There are certainly chemotherapy options available and some of them have relatively low side effects, compared to those that we typically think of when we consider some forms of human chemotherapy. A piece of good news about cancerous lumps, and specifically mast cell tumours, is that they are often relatively painless in themselves, particularly in the early stages of proceedings.  In fact, it is a very common experience for owners to have assumed the lump to be benign prior to the return of the results. Hang on in there - I can give no judgement because I do not know your dog, but so far things sound to have gone reasonably -  the lump that could so easily have been dismissed as 'benign' has been picked up and diagnosed; your vet is undoubtedly aware of / investigating the likely outcomes for your particular case.   Two is obviously not the lowest grade, but certainly not the highest.  Unfortunately, the details are important, and for that you will have to wait for your vet. All the best to both of you at this potentially harrowing time.

Thank you, at least he shouldn't be in any pain. I have tried searching Mast Cell Tumour I can't seem to get any hits. I'm not sure if it's because I'm on a phone browser or not. He had the lump approx. 2 years, I had been told it was a cyst by the vet quite a few times and taking it off would only be for  cosmetic reasons. Our vet said she removed the whole lump but her clearances either side may need to be revisited, However she said her clearance depth wise was only 0.07mm as it was basically taken down to muscle tissue and didn't / doesn't still want to go any deeper to remove muscle tissue. I take it the deeper clearance is the one I should be more worried about and it may have gone deeper?  

Hello!  It sounds as though you may be speculating needlessly, as presumably a laboratory report containing facts, as observed by your vets' own pathologist (diseased tissue specialist)  should be on their way to you.  If the sample hasn't been sent away for pathology analysis and still could be, we would strongly advise it as they will give you the best idea for a prognosis.  My understanding is that mast cell tumours are sometimes stopped by a fascial plane, so such deep margins may not always be needed.  A pathologist would look at the cells within the sample together with your vets' lab report and clarify the specific patients' position with regards to this lump.  Best of luck and please do let us know what is found.

Ps There are various chemotherapy options available for Mast Cell tumours.  Your vet will hopefully talk to you about them and help you to make good decisions about treatment of the lump for the future.