Question: My dog, Girlie, is 12 and I just found out she has cutaneous lymphoma. It started as just itchy patches that she aggravated and infected. Then she was on meds for two weeks, and now, in the third week, a big lump is hanging in her groin area. There are nodes running down her leg. She is not in pain, but how does it spread so fast? My vet suggests I put her to sleep. I feel he is right, but is there ever recovery from this type of cancer in older dogs? – Joanne
Answer: From your description of Girlie, it sounds as if she has cutaneous lymphosarcoma with lymph node involvement. Lymphosarcoma is cancer of lymph nodes and lymphoid glands. When the disease is present in the skin, we call it cutaneous or skin lymphosarcoma.
This cancer can begin as you have described with patches of itchy, scaly skin.
The disease can progress quickly and lymph nodes in the groin can become enlarged. There is treatment available for this disease, but this type of cancer is usually not cured with treatment.
The aim of treatment is to provide comfort to Girlie by reducing the size of the lymph node swelling and by eliminating the itchy areas in the skin. The treatment for cutaneous lymphosarcoma is usually oral chemotherapy, which is very well tolerated even in older patients. Most oral chemotherapy protocols do not cause a poor appetite or gastrointestinal upset.
Most patients that receive oral chemotherapy continue to have a very good quality of life, with very minimal side effects to treatment. There is about a 50 percent chance the treatment will work for Girlie and she will be more comfortable. If the treatment works, it can work for six months to a year and possibly longer.
I recommend you have Girlie evaluated further so her disease can be staged and we can determine how progressed it is. Once we have more information, we can work out the best treatment plan for her.
Stephanie Correa, DVM
Board Certified in Oncology
Animal Cancer Care Clinic
www.AnimalCancerCareClinic.com
Read more articles by Dr. Correa | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2013/02/19/is-recovery-from-lymphoma-possible/