Our healthy 13 year old cat diagnosed with skin cancer

Hi- our healthy 13 year old cat about a year ago had what looked like a small red scratch on his leg he wouldn’t stop licking…my wife was so stressed out going back between a cone and a onesie to get him to stop irritating that spot…he licked it so much it would bleed and grow all over his back left hind leg…we finally went to the dermatologist that our primary vet recommended…they did a skin test and the results came back “low grade lymphoma” it’s a huge shock to us because he is a very heathy indoor cat and we’ve always fed him really high quality wet good and gave him plenty of love. Here’s what the lab technician said in their report “These findings are most consistent with low-grade lymphoma. Because no natural borders are included, distinction between epitheliotropic or non-epitheliotropic cannot be made. The small appearance of the lymphocytes and low mitotic activity in this monomorphic population is suspicious for lymphocytosis (an indolent form of cutaneous lymphoma); however, clinical correlation is recommended. If clinically warranted, immunohistochemistry staining may be helpful to differentiate between B and T cell origin. Please contact the lab if you wish to add additional staining to these specimens. No etiologic agents are observed. Typical features of mycobacterial infection or eosinophilic granuloma are not observed.“ We are wondering what our options are and what we should be asking the oncologist (who we can’t even see until a month from now).  We don’t want our cat to go through chemo…He’s such a healthy spunky cat…always following us around and talking to us…sleeps with us…he’s very sweet and playful…we are devastated and feel incredibly lost….is it possible the lab results are wrong?’’ thanks to anyone who can help Nico

Hello!   Have you seen the article about lymphoma on our Blog?  If not, here is a link:  My cat has lymphoma – what does that mean? - Vet Help Direct

HERE is the link: https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2021/02/28/my-cat-has-lymphoma-what-does-that-mean/  

Hello!  What a lot of long words pathologists use.  This is necessary in order to discuss something very precise, and meaning can be lost without it.  I will attempt to translate a paragraph from the middle:  "The fact that the lymphocytes (the type of white blood cell that multiplies out-of-control in lymphoma) look small and similar to their neighbours, and aren't dividing very fast, make me suspicious that this might be lymphocytosis (an increase in white blood cells that the pathologist describes in brackets as an indolent form of lymphoma).  However, clinical correlation is recommended.' I think that clinical correlation means looking at the lab results, and taking a closer look at the patient to see if they match.  Having never met your cat personally and not having and responsibility for their interpreting their lab results or their treatment, this is definitely a question for your vet.  Perhaps questioning could take the following form:  "Does clinical correlation mean looking at the results and then looking at the cat and seeing if the two match?   So do the clinical signs that my cat is showing correlate with lymphoma then, or do you think that lymphocytosis is more likely?  What exactly is the difference between the two for my cat?" When cats have lymphoma, then as the pathologist points out, knowing whether it is B-Cell or T-cell lymphoma can be useful in planning treatment / discussing prognosis. I hope that this helps.

Another question for your vet:  'If chemotherapy were to be needed, what would that look like for my cat?'   Some people are very surprised by the answers.

Liz thank you so much for your reply…we are trying to wrap our heads around this…Does the diagnosis look very accurate? Is it possible its a mistake?  Besides the scabs that he keeps licking on his hind leg he seems to be a very happy healthy cat…it also said it was “low grade” I’m assuming thats good?