Adenocarcinoma in a Cat

According to Vet Info, adenocarcinoma is a malignant form of cancer that attacks the glandular lining of a cat's internal organs. Knowing the signs and symptoms of the disease can help you get your cat immediate treatment if adenocarcinoma does manifest itself in your pet.

  1. Symptoms

    • Be on the look out for obvious symptoms, such as lumps that increase and decrease in size, wounds that will not heal and bleeding from any orifice. Vet Info also describes inability to urinate or defecate, difficulty breathing, lameness and even unpleasant odor as symptoms. Your cat may also have difficulty swallowing and the resultant lack of appetite could cause weight loss.

    Diagnosis

    • Contact your veterinarian immediately if you notice any of the listed symptoms. Full diagnosis of adenocarcinoma requires blood work, X-rays and ultrasound tests. The earlier your veterinarian diagnoses your cat's problem the more effective the necessary treatment will be.

    Treatment

    • Chemotherapy is the most common treatment of adenocarcinoma. The chemotherapeutic medicines work by disrupting the genetic material of cancerous cells, which makes them divide and reproduce more slowly. Depending on the organ affected and the extent to which the cancer has advanced, the recurring chemotherapy treatments could take between a week and a few months.