Lymphoma In Cats: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

Lymphoma is one of the most common feline cancers, with approximately one-third of new cancer cases diagnosed each year. But what is it, and is your cat in danger?

Quick Overview: Lymphoma in Felines

common symptoms: depends on the position. May include cough, trouble breathing, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, swollen lymph nodes, nasal congestion, sneezing, nosebleeds, increased thirst and urination, blood in the stool.

Some diagnoses may depend on the affected location, but may include: Blood tests, urinalysis, X-rays, ultrasound, fine needle aspiration for cytology of affected lymph nodes, organs, or other lesions, biopsy of lymph nodes, organs, or other lesions.

diagnosed as a cat: frequently

need to continue taking medication: Yes

available vaccines: No, but feline leukemia virus (FeLV) has been linked to certain lymphomas, and a FeLV vaccine does exist for high-risk cats.

Treatment programs: Because lymphoma can be located almost anywhere in the body, treatment depends on its location and the systems involved. Treatment may involve steroids, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy.

home remedies: not any.

What is Lymphoma?

Lymphoma is a type of cancer. In fact, it is considered the most common type of cancer affecting cats worldwide. It’s a cancer of lymphocytes — a type of white blood cell of the immune system — and because these cells are so widespread, lymphoma can be found almost anywhere in the body.

While all cats are at risk for lymphoma, there are certain factors that increase a cat’s risk. For example, older cats are more likely to develop lymphoma, and cats around the age of 10-12 are more likely to be diagnosed than younger cats. Male cats are also more likely to develop lymphoma, as are intact cats or cats neutered later in life.

This is partly because certain types of lymphoma are more likely to occur in cats infected with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and, to a lesser extent, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Other reasons why cats may be more prone to lymphoma have been discussed, but none have been proven.

In 2002, a paper was published showing a link between smoking nicotine and lymphoma, but a more recent 2020 paper found no link.

Common Sites of Feline Lymphoma

Lymphomas most commonly occur in the gastrointestinal tract, but they can also occur in multiple locations around the body.

Feline lymphoma can be found in several different sites. Each “type” of lymphoma is named for the area in which it is found.

• Gastrointestinal or intestinal lymphoma– By far the most common lymphoma in cats, this type of lymphoma affects the internal organs. Intestinal lymphoma can actually be further divided into two types – small cell lymphoma and large cell lymphoma. Small cell lymphoma is a slow-growing, cancer-causing thickening of the bowel, while large cell lymphoma can form hard tumors in a cat’s gut and/or stomach. Feline large cell lymphoma is more aggressive and has a poorer prognosis.
• Mediastinal Lymphoma– This type of lymphoma grows in cats’ chests, usually between their lungs. Over time, it can grow and put pressure on the lungs and heart. This is more common in young cats and in cats with FeLV.
• renal lymphoma– Lymphoma can also affect the kidneys, causing symptoms similar to chronic kidney disease as kidney cells are replaced by cancer cells.
• nasal lymphoma– Nasal lymphoma affects a cat’s nose and usually begins with facial swelling. In about a quarter of nasal lymphoma cases, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Types of Lymphoma in Cats

There are also less common lymphomas that affect nerves, lymph nodes, or other parts of the body. Multinodal/multicentric lymphoma, cutaneous lymphoma, mesenteric lymphoma, ocular lymphoma, and spinal cord lymphoma are other types of lymphoma in cats. There is evidence that cutaneous lymphoma in cats is becoming more common.

Symptoms of Lymphoma

Cats with lymphoma will show general signs of disease, with dull coat, lethargy, and changes in appetite being common symptoms.

Symptoms of lymphoma in cats vary slightly depending on the area affected, although all types of lymphoma in cats can cause weight loss, lethargy, and poor, dull, or greasy coat quality. Cats with lymphoma may have increased or decreased appetite, or you may notice no change in appetite.

The most common type of lymphoma – gastrointestinal lymphoma – affects the gastrointestinal tract, thus causing weight loss, diarrhea and vomiting.

Changes in drinking and urination habits can be a sign of renal lymphoma, although all lymphomas can lead to increased alcohol consumption. Nasal and nervous system lymphomas can present with neurological symptoms such as seizures, head pressure, and blindness.

Mediastinal lymphoma may present with changes in breathing rate, dyspnea, coughing, wheezing, and difficulty with movement.

Read more: Heavy Breathing Cats: 3 Types of Heavy Breathing and What They Mean

Nasal lymphoma may cause swelling of the nose, discharge from the eyes and nose, sneezing, or nosebleeds.

Other symptoms of lymphoma include:

• weight loss and poor condition
• changes in thirst, usually increased
• Appetite changes, usually anorexia
• vomiting and diarrhea
• increased urination
• sneeze
• cough
• Increased breathing rate, exertion, or noise
• nosebleeds and runny nose
• facial swelling
• epileptic seizure
• confusion, disorientation
• blindness
• depression and lethargy
• swollen or painful lymph nodes

Because these clinical signs are vague and can be symptoms of many other conditions, further testing is warranted if your veterinarian suspects lymphoma in your cat. They may start with a complete blood count, as changes in lymphocytes may be identified here. Ultrasounds, X-rays, and CT scans can help your veterinarian look at any abnormalities in more detail.

Your veterinarian will also want to take a biopsy of the affected area — a surgical biopsy with a fine needle aspiration or a small lump to collect some cells and they should be able to make a diagnosis. The tumor is then “graded” to describe its aggressiveness — low-grade lymphomas are less aggressive than high-grade lymphomas.

Feline Lymphoma Treatment

It is very important to have your veterinarian perform tests on your cat to make a final diagnosis.

Feline lymphoma can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, depending on the type, grade, and location of the cancer. The difficulty with treating feline lymphoma is that the cancer cells often spread over a large area, so it’s not as simple as “cut them out.”

Chemotherapy is the most common lymphoma treatment plan for cats because it helps kill all cancer cells, including those that are not in the tumor’s primary location. Chemotherapy for low-grade lymphoma usually involves tablets, while high-grade lymphoma is more likely to require chemotherapy by injection.

The cats tolerated the chemotherapy very well and didn’t suffer too badly from the side effects – they rarely shed their hair or looked sick, but some experienced mild vomiting or diarrhea. Oral chemotherapy with prednisone and chlorambucil works well for small cell lymphoma, but more aggressive types of lymphoma require more intense treatment, including injections of chemotherapy drugs. This chemotherapy regimen, often called the “CHOP” regimen, includes cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, prednisolone, and vincristine.

We list the most common types of treatment and average survival times below:

• small cell gastrointestinal lymphoma: Oral chemotherapy. 80% go into remission for 2-3 years
  Large cell gastrointestinal lymphoma: aggressive chemotherapy, 50% partial remission, survival period 3-10 months.
• Mediastinal Lymphoma: With aggressive chemotherapy, cats survive 3 months if they have FeLV and 9-12 months if they don’t.
• nasal lymphoma: Chemotherapy or radiotherapy. 80% respond well, with survival up to 2 years.
• renal lymphoma: Aggressive chemotherapy improves symptoms in approximately 60% of patients, but survival is typically 6 months.

in conclusion

There are several options for treating feline lymphoma, varying in the aggressiveness of the treatment route and the type of lymphoma being treated.

Lymphoma is a common and serious cancer in cats. The most common type of lymphoma is gastrointestinal lymphoma, which is poorly understood.

However, both mediastinal lymphoma and renal lymphoma have been associated with feline leukemia virus infection, so it is recommended that you vaccinate your cat against FeLV to help prevent lymphoma.