Pleural Effusion With Lymphoma in a Feline

Lymphoma, also known as lymphosarcoma, is among the most common types of cancers found in cats. According to Cat World, approximately one-third of all cat cancers diagnosed are types of lymphoma. These types of cancers affect the lymph nodes, small ball-shaped parts of the immune system found throughout the body. The nodes contain cells used to fight off infections, but those same cells can be infiltrated by cancer cells. If certain lymph nodes are affected, your cat can also suffer from pleural effusion.

  1. Pleural Effusion Explained

    • Pleural effusion occurs when the area around your cat's lungs fills up with fluid, such as blood or lymphatic fluid. All of that extra fluid makes it difficult for your cat's lungs to inflate properly because there simply is not enough room in the chest cavity. As a result, your cat will not be able to get enough oxygen. Pleural effusion can cause a number of symptoms, such as breathing difficulties, distress, reduced activity levels, coughing, unusual positions while sitting or resting, and pale or blue-tinged tongue, gums or lip caused by insufficient oxygen levels in the blood. In severe cases, your cat could go into shock as well.

    Lymphoma and Pleural Effusion

    • Because the lymph nodes can be found throughout your cat's body, the specific type of lymphoma depends on where the cancer strikes. For example, mediastinal lymphoma occurs when the cancer affects lymph nodes in the area between the lungs (known as the thymus) and on the left side of the cheat in an area called the anterior mediastinal. With this form of lymphoma, cats often develop pleural effusion because the cancer causes an accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity.

    Mediastinal Lymphoma and FeLV

    • According to Dr. Laura Garrett and Dr. Irene Rochlitz at Vetstream, about one-fourth of the cases of lymphoma diagnosed in cats is associated with the Feline Leukemia Virus. Cat World adds that mediastinal lymphoma is the most common form of lymphsarcoma linked to FeLV. FeLV is a retrovirus that gets into the cat's cells and causes significant physiological problems, which can include immune system deficiency similar to what humans experience with HIV, also a retrovirus. About 3 percent of all cats in the United States are infected with FeLV, according to the Cornell Feline Health Center.

    Treatment

    • If your cat suffers from pleural effusion caused by lymphoma, your veteranarian will first make your pet more comfortable by giving her oxygen and by removing the fluid from the chest cavity. In most cases, chemotherapy is used to treat the lymphoma. This type of treatment usually lasts for about six to eight weeks. Sometimes the tumor within the lymph nodes can be surgically removed. For cats who may not be able to handle chemotherpay, corticosteroids can be used for short-term treatment but their use can reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy in the future.

    Prognosis

    • The remission rate for cats with lymphoma is up to 75 percent, although the success rate can vary depending on a number of factors, including the progression of the cancer and their FeLV status. Unfortunately, even after remission, only 30 percent of cats treated for lymphoma live another year. Cats who have FeLV live only an average of four months following remission, and cats who receive their treatment during the most advanced stages of the disease are likely to live less than three months. A cat's life expectancy without treatment is only six to eight weeks.