Neoplasia in cats refers to the conditions where a division of cells grow abnormally, regardless of where it happens and what is the type. The deviant cells, which typically named as neoplastic cells, aren’t controlled and don’t act like normal cells because they divide more quickly yet tend to live longer. The condition can be categorized as malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous). In some cases of neoplasia, the terms cancer and tumor are used exchangeable.
In order to grasp the growth of abnormal cells, it is important to learn about the growth of normal cells. Cells are continuously created and ceased throughout the live of breathing creatures – however, they may act abnormally and form abnormal tissue if the process is disturbed.
As mentioned before, there are two common types of neoplasia in cats:
- Benign: This type of neoplasms doesn’t disrupt normal cell tissue and it doesn’t expand to the other body parts. In majority of cases, it isn’t fatal except they create pressure on crucial organ.
- Malignant: This type of neoplasm is typically called cancer. It attacks and damages cell tissue nearby, with fast overgrowth compared to nearby tissue. The tumor part which referred to as metastases may spread and ruin the body parts by creating more tumors.
Neoplasia is not exactly a rare condition to occur in pets, and the probability increases as they get older. A data shows that around 32% cats that age more than 10 years old suffer from various cancer types. Most of them get the condition during their first 10-15 years in life, with an exception of lymphoma that’s more often to happen to younger cat. The most common neoplasm types to happen to feline creatures are skin tumors, with 50-65% of them being non-cancerous and 25% of them being cancerous. Breast cancer is the next most common neoplasm type in cats, with 17% of them happened to be breast cancer and 10% of them being gums tumor cats.
The most important factor to increase the possibility of successful neoplasia treatment in cats is early cancer detection. This may involve your pet’s medical history and physical examination for the vet to suspect the condition. Further test such as blood tests, ultrasound exams, and x-rays may be required to support the diagnosis. Sometimes, it is also important to perform biopsy, or taking a sample of neoplasm tissue to be examined under microscope. All of these examinations will help to determine if the neoplasia in cats is a malignant or a benign type.
