Feline fibrosarcoma is a type of highly malignant tumor that is known to develop where needles have injected vaccinations. In domesticated cats, about .02 percent of vaccinations give rise to a fibrosarcoma tumor, and once the condition has been contracted, there is little any veterinarian can do to treat the problem. Even after extensive treatment, cats with fibrosarcoma only stay tumor free for about five months. The duration of a cat's survival after being diagnosed with this condition has been known to range from nine to sixteen months. Extended survival is rare.
What Causes Feline Fibrosarcoma?
It is not exactly known what the connection is between vaccinations and feline fibrosarcoma, but the connection is widely observed. Somehow, when vaccine-carrying needle is inserted into the flesh, it has the potential to disrupt the normal growth patterns of connective tissue in the skin. This tissue is disrupted in such a way that it causes the cells to multiply uncontrollably.
In as little as two weeks, or as much as a few years, the now cancerous tissue grows into noticeable tumors, called fibrosarcomas. Fibrosarcomas quickly become malignant, meaning that they spread invisible, root-like extensions into the body. This makes them extremely difficult to treat, because even if a tumor is removed, its root-like extensions can allow the tumor to grow back.
Removal Using Surgery
Since fibrosarcomas are often malignant, even the most aggressive surgery has little chance of eliminating the disease. Cats who suffer from fibrosarcoma have a better chance with more radical surgeries that remove large quantities of tissue around the tumors in an attempt to remove those malignant root-like formations.
There are veterinary surgeons that specialize in surgical removal of fibrosarcomas, so your best chance is to bring your affected cat to one of those vets, but even the most specialized fibrosarcoma surgeons are unlikely to cure the disease. Radiation therapy, or the bombardment of cancerous tissue with high-energy x-rays, is often used in conjunction with surgery in feline fibrosarcoma cases. This helps to kill off cancer cells to reduce the size of a tumor before surgery, and to kill off remaining cancerous tissue left in the body after surgery.
Ways to Prevent Your Pet from Contracting Fibrosarcoma
Since cats are particularly vulnerable to this disease, and vaccinations are the most common cause, you should refrain from vaccinating your cat more than you have to. Rabies is the only yearly vaccination that adult cats really need. Do not try to cut down on your cat's vaccinations by using adjuvanted vaccines, which would seem to be beneficial because adjuvanted vaccinations do not need to be applied as often, but are actually more dangerous because they cause more inflammation. Ask your veterinarian to administer shots in your cat's leg. That way, if fibrosarcoma occurs, the leg can be amputated. This may seem a little extreme, but is better for the cat to lose its leg than its life.
Feline fibrosarcoma is a deadly cancer that affects cats more than any other animal. While there are no treatments that are likely to solve the problem, a combination of surgery and radiation therapy can give the best chance of survival.