Tulip Biopsy Report
Today I took Tulip in to the vet so that they could change the bandage from her surgery and inspect the wound. There's a small sore that concerns them, so they prescribed some antibiotics. Otherwise, things seem to be going well on that front.
Of more interest, they happened to get the biopsy report back this morning so I got to hear it in person. You'll recall that the vet predicted one of three outcomes for the biopsy of the lump. From best-case to worst-case, they were:
1- It's something non-cancerous and not a big deal. This is unlikely.
2- It's something cancerous, but they'll be able to remove it all.
3- It's something cancerous, and they can't remove it all.
Tulip's biopsy landed square on [2]. Technically she had a cancerous 'grade one soft tissue sarcoma'. Both the type of tumor and the blood work lead the vet to be very confident that she successfully removed every last piece of it. Basically, the vet summarized this as "a great outcome." No further treatment should be necessary once the wound heals up.
Even better, the vet says this kind of cancer is relatively unlikely to recur, so hopefully this was it. If it does reoccur, it is almost certainly going to reappear near the same place, so examining her left front leg for suspicious lumps (not to mention the rest of her) will now be part of the regular routine.
So all in all, things are good.
Of more interest, they happened to get the biopsy report back this morning so I got to hear it in person. You'll recall that the vet predicted one of three outcomes for the biopsy of the lump. From best-case to worst-case, they were:
1- It's something non-cancerous and not a big deal. This is unlikely.
2- It's something cancerous, but they'll be able to remove it all.
3- It's something cancerous, and they can't remove it all.
Tulip's biopsy landed square on [2]. Technically she had a cancerous 'grade one soft tissue sarcoma'. Both the type of tumor and the blood work lead the vet to be very confident that she successfully removed every last piece of it. Basically, the vet summarized this as "a great outcome." No further treatment should be necessary once the wound heals up.
Even better, the vet says this kind of cancer is relatively unlikely to recur, so hopefully this was it. If it does reoccur, it is almost certainly going to reappear near the same place, so examining her left front leg for suspicious lumps (not to mention the rest of her) will now be part of the regular routine.
So all in all, things are good.