# 4 year old female Golden with Grade 2/ High Mast Cell Tumor



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Handball1! said:


> Hello Everyone. Just took my 4 year old female Golden to the oncologist. Grade 2/High MCT. She probably has less than a year to live. Vet recommended X-rays, ultrasound Chemo and maybe additional surgery. I don't think it is worth it. No guarantees for a longer life even with all the treatments. Plus vet said additional MCT's may occur. Please share your thoughts.
> Thanks, Cliff


Where is the tumor? 

Is it something that can be removed with clean margins?


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Hello - I'm so sorry that you are going through this.

I have had a similar (not exact) experience in the past year. My (then) eight-year-old was diagnosed with a Grade Two (also an aggressive two) Soft Tissue Sarcoma just about 14 months ago. The tumour was the size of a pea, located on her hip. The surgeon took huge margins, all scans showed there was no spread to the lungs or brain or abdomen. But as the pathology showed it was an aggressive tumour, chemo was recommended. Without it, regrowth was almost pegged at 100%, with greater chance of spread. So I opted for the chemo. She did that for 15 weeks. She gets a recheck at the oncologist once a month, and if we get to 12 months post chemo without regrowth, the chances of regrowth go WAY down. We have about 3-4 months to go. 

For me, it has been worth it. There are never any guarantees, that's true. My dog was very healthy and the oncologist felt like the surgery and chemo would give her a very good chance. He told me he could make no guarantees she would live to 12 (I'm aiming for 16) but I was not ready to let her go at eight. She had a hard few months on the chemo, I'm not going to lie, but as soon as it was done, she bounced back to her normal bright and healthy and happy self. People ask me all the time if she is a puppy. We have returned to all our normal activities - off leash runs, hunt training, water treadmill, swimming, and long walks. I have no regrets.

I'm glad you are already consulting with an oncologist. Talk it through - ask all your questions. If the tumour can be removed fully with wide margins and there is an effective chemo therapy, it might be worth it. I don't know a lot about Mast Cell Tumours and the effectiveness of the chemo, but chemo therapies have come a long way. A dog I train with is about 13 now - she had lymphoma in the past year and you would never know it looking at her. 

I hope this helps. Best of luck to you. Please let us know what happens.


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## abaugh01 (5 mo ago)

I just got a call from the vet about 30 minutes ago, stating that my 6yr old has a Grade 2 soft tissue sarcoma on her snout.
She is going to talk to the oncologist and get back with me next week. She said it‘s in a delicate area and doesn’t know if surgery is an option?


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

abaugh01 said:


> I just got a call from the vet about 30 minutes ago, stating that my 6yr old has a Grade 2 soft tissue sarcoma on her snout.
> She is going to talk to the oncologist and get back with me next week. She said it‘s in a delicate area and doesn’t know if surgery is an option?


Sorry to hear this. Good to get an oncologist involved. Hopefully they will be able to treat it. Let us know what happens.


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