The average age at which intestinal

tumors A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

are diagnosed ranges between 10–12 years for cats and 6 to 9 years for dogs. There are many different types of intestinal tumors, including

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enl ...

adenocarcinoma Adenocarcinoma (; plural adenocarcinomas or adenocarcinomata ) (AC) is a type of cancerous tumor that can occur in several parts of the body. It is defined as neoplasia of epithelial tissue that has glandular origin, glandular characteristics, o ...

mast cell tumor A mastocytoma or mast cell tumor is a type of round-cell tumor consisting of mast cells. It is found in humans and many animal species; it also can refer to an accumulation or nodule of mast cells that resembles a tumor. Mast cells originate f ...

, and

leiomyosarcoma Leiomyosarcoma is a malignant ( cancerous) smooth muscle tumor. A benign tumor originating from the same tissue is termed leiomyoma. While leiomyosarcomas are not thought to arise from leiomyomas, some leiomyoma variants' classification is evo ...

Signs and symptoms

The symptoms can vary but include weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, and anorexia.

Diagnosis

The veterinarian will typically perform a series of tests such as blood tests and imaging studies. The most definitive way to confirm/rule out intestinal tumors is to perform a medical procedure called

endoscopy An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are inse ...

to visualize the organ and do a tissue

biopsy A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a d ...

Treatment

Surgical treatment remains the treatment of choice for cats and dogs diagnosed with intestinal tumors who are in otherwise good health.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Intestinal Cancer in Cats and Dogs'' from Pet Cancer Center
Cancer in dogs Cancer in cats Types of animal cancers Gastrointestinal cancer