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What are Neoplasia, Tumors and Cancer?
Neoplasia (nee-oh-PLAY-zhuh) is the uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells or tissues in the body, and the abnormal growth itself is called a neoplasm (nee-oh-PLAZ-m) or tumor. It can be benign (bee-NINE) or malignant. Benign neoplasms do not grow aggressively, do not invade the surrounding body tissues, and do not spread throughout the body. Malignant neoplasms, on the other hand, tend to grow rapidly, invade the tissues around them, and spread, or metastasize (me-TAS-ta-size), to other parts of the body.
The word "cancer" is often confused with neoplasia, but only malignant neoplasms are truly cancers.
How Common are Neoplasia and Cancer?
Neoplasia is common in pet animals and the incidence increases with age. Dogs get cancer at roughly the same rate as humans, while cats get fewer cancers.
Neoplasia is often suspected on the basis of the pet's medical history and physical exam. Additional tests, such as radiographs (x-rays), blood tests, and ultrasound exams, may be necessary to confirm neoplasia. Additional biopsies of other tissues, such as lymph nodes, may be necessary to determine how far a malignant neoplasm (cancer) has spread.
Is Neoplasia Preventable?
Early detection and treatment are the best ways to manage neoplasia in pets.
Common Types of Neoplasia in Pets
Skin - Skin tumors are very common in older dogs, but much less common in cats. Most skin tumors in cats are malignant, but in dogs they are often benign. Your veterinarian should examine all skin tumors in a dog or cat to determine if any are malignant.
Mammary Gland (Breast) - 50% of all breast tumors in dogs and greater than 85% of all breast tumors in cats are malignant. Spaying your female pet before 12 months of age will greatly reduce the risk of mammary gland cancer.
Head & Neck - Neoplasia of the mouth is common in dogs and less common in cats. Signs to watch for are a mass or tumor on the gums, bleeding, odor, or difficulty eating. Since many swellings are malignant, early, aggressive treatment is essential. Neoplasia may also develop inside the nose of both cats and dogs. Bleeding from the nose, breathing difficulty, or facial swelling are signs that may indicate neoplasia and should be checked by your veterinarian.
Lymphoma - Lymphoma is a common form of neoplasia in dogs and cats. A contagious feline leukemia virus can be the cause of lymphoma in some cats.
Testicles - Testicular tumors are rare in cats and common in dogs, especially those with retained testicles (testicles that did not move to their normal positions during growth, and may be located in the abdomen or between the abdomen and scrotum).
Abdominal Tumors - Tumors inside the abdomen are common but it is difficult to make an early diagnosis. Weight loss or abdominal swelling are signs of these tumors.
Bone - Bone tumors are most often seen in large breed dogs and dogs older than seven years, and rarely in cats. Persistent pain, lameness, and swelling in the affected area are common signs of the disease.
Neoplasia is frequently treatable and early diagnosis will aid your veterinarian in delivering the best care possible.
How is Cancer Treated?
Each type of neoplasia requires individual care and may include one or a combination of treatment therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, cryosurgery (freezing), hyperthermia (heating) or immunotherapy. Your pet's overall health is important too, and your veterinarian may recommend dietary changes or other things to help your pet better respond to treatment. Once you have a diagnosis, your veterinarian will discuss the best treatment option(s) for your pet and the risks and side effects associated with each option. Pain management is also an important part of treatment. In some instances, your veterinarian may refer you to a board-certified oncologist (cancer specialist) and/or specialty clinic depending upon the recommended course of treatment.
How early a neoplasm is detected and the type of neoplasm are often the biggest factors determining the success of treatment.
Sometimes, euthanasia is considered when a pet has neoplasia (especially with some cancers). This strongly depends upon the type and extent of the neoplasia, as well as the aggressiveness of therapy. Benign neoplasms are usually easier to treat, and treatment of any type of neoplasia is more likely to be successful if the neoplasms are detected early. Although some neoplasms (especially the more aggressive cancers) cannot be cured, treatment can prolong your pet's life and improve their quality of life.
We are learning more about neoplasia through research and experience. New diagnostic methods can help detect neoplasia earlier and improve your pet's chances, and new treatment methods are being developed to provide better success rates with less risk of side effects
7 Common Signs of Neoplasia in Small Animals
Weight loss
Loss of appetite
Bleeding or discharge from any body opening
Offensive odor
Difficulty eating or swallowing
Persistent lameness or stiffness
Difficulty breathing, urinating, or defecating
Studies Find Cancer Drugs May Double As Heart Savers
Two drugs being tested to shrink cancer tumors are showing promise for slowing growth of fatty deposits in blood vessels that can cause heart disease and stroke.
One of the cancer drugs, TNP-470, has already passed safety tests in adults and children. When given to mice with high cholesterol, it dramatically inhibits buildup of plaque that clogs and then blocks blood flow in arteries serving the heart and brain.
The second drug, endostatin, created a media sensation, when, in 1997, researchers announced that it eliminated tumors in mice without causing harmful side effects. "It's clear that both drugs significantly inhibit growth of plaque in blood vessels," says Karen Moulton, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and researcher at Children's Hospital in Boston. Moulton notes that more tests on animals need to be done before these and related drugs can be given to humans with heart disease.
Growing Tumors and Plaque
TNP-470 and endostatin suppress the growth of blood vessels, something that, at first, sounds detrimental. Folkman has spent most of his career developing so-called angiogenesis (vessel-growth) inhibitors to deprive tumors of this nourishment.
The capillaries grow out of larger vessels that supply blood to arteries and veins.
"We guessed that plaque grows faster when fed by blood vessels, just like tumors," notes Moulton. At the end of 16 weeks of such treatment, the mice were sacrificed and their blood vessels examined.
Endostatin inhibited plaque growth 85 percent compared with those mice that received no drugs, Moulton reported this month in the journal Circulation. TNP-470 cut plaque deposits by 70 percent.
"Both agents meaningfully inhibited growth of plaque," Moulton said in an interview. "That opens up the possibility that drugs can be used to manipulate its growth and delay -- or even prevent -- the development of heart disease and stroke."
People usually don't feel symptoms of heart disease, like chest pains, until a coronary artery becomes more than 70 percent blocked. However, sections of plaque can burst, causing a blood clot to form in the artery. Moulton wants to know if capillaries bleeding inside plaque make the sections of plaque more liable to burst.
Then we must find out if inhibition of blood-vessel growth with drugs will prevent plaque breakup."
While Folkman, Moulton, and others work on drugs to inhibit growth of blood vessels, some colleagues are trying to stimulate this growth. Cardiologist Michael Simons, for example, leads a group of researchers who give patients basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) to help them grow new blood vessels that bypass severely clogged arteries in their hearts.
Of 66 patients given injections of growth factor into their hearts, "about 80 percent show a reduction in their symptoms and an increased capacity for exercise," notes Simons, who is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Nearby at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, cardiologist Jeffrey Isner heads a team that is having success using vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for the same purpose.
When a heart artery becomes completely blocked, the body secretes these factors, which stimulate the growth of so-called collateral vessels. Moulton's findings, he replies, provide evidence that cancer patients can take angiogenesis inhibitors without making any heart disease they have worse.
At earlier stages, angiogenesis inhibitors may reduce plaque buildup, thus delaying or preventing heart disease. Later, when arteries are almost blocked and chest pains and other problems appear, growth factors might relieve pain, fatigue, and other symptoms.