Agonizing over what to do re TCC

My 10 year old Lab mix was diagnosed last December with a 2 cm tumor in her bladder.  It appeared to be attached to the bladder wall by a small stem which it dangled from.  She was put on Piroxicam and and antacid. It has had growth spurts now and then with the latest one putting the tumor size at approximately 3.5cm - 4cm.  My Vet has explained all the risks involved with a surgery but is saying it is an option.  I understand it would only be prolonging the inevitable - could be 3 more months or a year or even 2 yrs.  No one can know for sure. My question concerns trying to figure out how long my girl has if we stay on this piroxicam course - is there anyway to know how much the bladder can hold tumor-wise b4 urine output is obstructed?

She is happy and silly and active now.  I worry a surgery will take that away from her.  I worry if we don't try the surgery she'll be gone sooner than if we didn't try....it's a terrible position to be in and I'm having a terrible time with it...

Thanks for any guidance or widom you can pass on....

I would do the surgery.  My little Sheltie had a bladder tumor (TCC) in February 2008.  I agonized over it until May, 2008.  Then got the surgery.  She was 110% better than ever within the first week of surgery.

Even though they got clean margins, I was told she should have chemo because these things come back.  I gave her one treatment and she got real sick.  It is over a year since surgery and the cancer never came back but she has a heart issue from that treatment with the chemo.  All in all we are doing OK.

Best of luck to you.

Carol

On 6/25/2009 carolsales wrote:

I would do the surgery.  My little Sheltie had a bladder tumor (TCC) in February 2008.  I agonized over it until May, 2008.  Then got the surgery.  She was 110% better than ever within the first week of surgery.

 

Even though they got clean margins, I was told she should have chemo because these things come back.  I gave her one treatment and she got real sick.  It is over a year since surgery and the cancer never came back but she has a heart issue from that treatment with the chemo.  All in all we are doing OK.

Best of luck to you.

Carol

Carol,

I was wondering if you continued a treatment such as Piroxicam after the chemo?  As I understand this cancer, it's inflammatory in nature...

Thanks...

On 6/20/2009 Flanheart wrote:

I agonized over decisions about my dog once.  Someone, a doggy EXPERT told me you can't think of yourself...you have to think of THEIR quality of life.  THEIR happiness and day to day experience.

Flanheart,

Nothing is worse than watching someone you love suffer...that urge to try and fix things is hard to battle..thank you for your wisdom.

No, I didn't.  Chelsea seemed to always have side effects when taking any kind of medication so I chose not to do pixoicam.  I was afraid it would be hard on her kidneys.  I did do shark cartilage (still do).  I don't know if the shark cartilage had anything to do with it not coming back or not, but so far it hasn't returned.  Chelsea is only 8 lbs and very delicate for a Sheltie.  Also, she is almost 14 now.

I wish you so much luck and know how hard this is but I feel if they can operate you should have it.  I went to the University of Gainsville--they have the most wonderful doctors there.

 Let me know if I can help you in anyway.

 Regards,

Carol

On 6/29/2009 carolsales wrote:

No, I didn't.  Chelsea seemed to always have side effects when taking any kind of medication so I chose not to do pixoicam.  I was afraid it would be hard on her kidneys.  I did do shark cartilage (still do).  I don't know if the shark cartilage had anything to do with it not coming back or not, but so far it hasn't returned.  Chelsea is only 8 lbs and very delicate for a Sheltie.  Also, she is almost 14 now.

 

I wish you so much luck and know how hard this is but I feel if they can operate you should have it.  I went to the University of Gainsville--they have the most wonderful doctors there.

 Let me know if I can help you in anyway.

 Regards,

Carol

I'm so happy to know that all went well with your pup!  I realize that this rotten cancer presents itself in so many ways and always different.

I do have another question for you if you don't mind...:)

The first ultrasound for my dog showed 3-4 small tumors along with the large one, which we are thinking of removing.  One of the small tumors was close by the neck of the bladder.  Since treating her with piroxicam, all of those small tumors have since reduced themselves so small they are undetected.

If we remove this large tumor, I'm concerned that all the energy that went into that one will transfer into one of the smaller ones that are no doubt still there, just suppressed by the anti inflammatory properties of the medicine.  I wrestle with the thought if the tumors were there b4 why wouldn't they still be there, just not visable?  How clean could a margin actually be in this particular case? I know this would be just buying her time...

I'm wondering if your dog had only 1 tumor at the time of surgery?  Were others suppressed by a medicine at the time of surgery?

Thanks Carol...looking forward to your thoughts...

On 7/3/2009 Margo50 wrote:

 

On 6/29/2009 carolsales wrote:

No, I didn't.  Chelsea seemed to always have side effects when taking any kind of medication so I chose not to do pixoicam.  I was afraid it would be hard on her kidneys.  I did do shark cartilage (still do).  I don't know if the shark cartilage had anything to do with it not coming back or not, but so far it hasn't returned.  Chelsea is only 8 lbs and very delicate for a Sheltie.  Also, she is almost 14 now.

 

I wish you so much luck and know how hard this is but I feel if they can operate you should have it.  I went to the University of Gainsville--they have the most wonderful doctors there.

 Let me know if I can help you in anyway.

 Regards,

Carol

I'm so happy to know that all went well with your pup!  I realize that this rotten cancer presents itself in so many ways and always different.

I do have another question for you if you don't mind...:)

The first ultrasound for my dog showed 3-4 small tumors along with the large one, which we are thinking of removing.  One of the small tumors was close by the neck of the bladder.  Since treating her with piroxicam, all of those small tumors have since reduced themselves so small they are undetected.

If we remove this large tumor, I'm concerned that all the energy that went into that one will transfer into one of the smaller ones that are no doubt still there, just suppressed by the anti inflammatory properties of the medicine.  I wrestle with the thought if the tumors were there b4 why wouldn't they still be there, just not visable?  How clean could a margin actually be in this particular case? I know this would be just buying her time...

I'm wondering if your dog had only 1 tumor at the time of surgery?  Were others suppressed by a medicine at the time of surgery?

Thanks Carol...looking forward to your thoughts...

On 7/3/2009 carolsales wrote:

 

On 7/3/2009 Margo50 wrote:

 

On 6/29/2009 carolsales wrote:

No, I didn't.  Chelsea seemed to always have side effects when taking any kind of medication so I chose not to do pixoicam.  I was afraid it would be hard on her kidneys.  I did do shark cartilage (still do).  I don't know if the shark cartilage had anything to do with it not coming back or not, but so far it hasn't returned.  Chelsea is only 8 lbs and very delicate for a Sheltie.  Also, she is almost 14 now.

 

I wish you so much luck and know how hard this is but I feel if they can operate you should have it.  I went to the University of Gainsville--they have the most wonderful doctors there.

 Let me know if I can help you in anyway.

 Regards,

Carol

I'm so happy to know that all went well with your pup!  I realize that this rotten cancer presents itself in so many ways and always different.

I do have another question for you if you don't mind...:)

The first ultrasound for my dog showed 3-4 small tumors along with the large one, which we are thinking of removing.  One of the small tumors was close by the neck of the bladder.  Since treating her with piroxicam, all of those small tumors have since reduced themselves so small they are undetected.

If we remove this large tumor, I'm concerned that all the energy that went into that one will transfer into one of the smaller ones that are no doubt still there, just suppressed by the anti inflammatory properties of the medicine.  I wrestle with the thought if the tumors were there b4 why wouldn't they still be there, just not visable?  How clean could a margin actually be in this particular case? I know this would be just buying her time...

I'm wondering if your dog had only 1 tumor at the time of surgery?  Were others suppressed by a medicine at the time of surgery?

Thanks Carol...looking forward to your thoughts...

Margo,

I truly feel what you are going through as I went through agonizing pain for 3 months after diagnoisis until I made the decidion to have the surgery.

 Chelsea only had 1 tumer which kept getting bigger unti it was removed..  She only took piroxicam for about 2 weeks after initial diagnosis but her kidney level went up so I discontinued it.  She never took it again.   The tumors you describe at the neck of the bladder I believe are hard to remove but they seem like they are resolving themselves through the piroxicam.  Some people on this site have had their dogs on that for years.  I think you should get the larger tumor out.  But, the doctors, in a good university or hosptial would be better able to access the probabilities of success.  I do know that prior to having Chelsea operated in Gainsville, I was told by other doctors even with the operation, she would only have a year before it came back.  As I mentioned, it is 1 1/2 years after diagnosis and one year after the operation and the cancer has never come back.  They removed 65% of her bladder and within 1 week she was urinating normally and her bladder stretched back to normal within a few months. 

I, personally, feel it is harder to sit back and watch the tumor grow than to go ahead and take action.  But each case is different, and I was lucky that the tumor Chelsea had was positioned to be removed.  Are you any where near Gainsville, Florida?  They are wonderful there.

 Write me if you have any more questions.  I'll privately leave you my phone number and e-mail address.

 Best regards,

Carol