L-Mesitran® 2012

L-Mesitran® Case Study: C123

Feline fibrosarcoma

A 17 year old long-haired neutered cat (1994) was presented to the veterinarian at the beginning of the summer of 2011. She suffered from a recurrent fibrosarcoma at the level of the carpus on the left front leg. In September 2010 a fibrosarcoma was removed from the same spot and the wound healing was problematic. Initially inter-vention was delayed, but on October 6 2011 the cat only weighed 2.45kg and intervention was necessary. At that time the sarcoma also showed ulceration.

Most carcinoma in cats are soft tissue carcinoma and malignant (Schmidt, 2010). These tumors are quite common in cats and occur naturally. They can also be caused by routine vaccinations or even a pet identification microchip (Carminato, 2011).

On the proximal side it was possible to remove the tumor. But the tumor had grown in the joint structures and therefore small parts were left behind. Amputation of the leg was considered, but given the anorexic condition of the cat, this option was waived initially. The wound was treated with honey-based gel.

Product: L-Mesitran SoftCases study done by: Dr. ACJM Paping (DVM), Maastricht, The Netherlands

MethodThe wound and the peri-wound area were first cleaned (NaCl). Thereafter the honey-gel was applied on the gauze (fig. 1) which then was wrapped around the leg. This was fixated with an occlu-sive dressing (fig. 2). The wound was initially treated daily by the vet, and after approximately two weeks, this was done every other day. To protect the newly formed delicate granulation tissue a piece of skin was removed from the flank and placed on top of the wound.

ResultsAfter one and a half weeks of daily treatments, the ‘donor’ skin was almost gone (fig. 3) and the wound edges were pretty firm and the granulation was clearly visible (fig. 4). About a week later (fig. 5) the wound was almost closed. The next day the wound was complete-ly healed, but unfortunately the surviving remnants of the tumor were noticeable. (fig. 6-7). It was decided to amputate the leg after all at the end of November. Three weeks after the amputation the cat had regained her weight up to 3 kilo, and a month post-op the cat had recovered well (fig. 8) .

DiscussionRemoving sarcomas surgically is a proven technique. Providing there is room to remove the tumor radically, survival rates are good and recurrence low (Phelps, 2011). In most cases radiation therapy follow up will provide the best results (Morrison, 2002). In this case surgical removal was the only option, considering the cat’s condi-tion. The post-operative wound healed well by using the honey based gel which prevented infection (Weese, 2011).

References- Carminato A et al. (2011) Microchip-associated fibrosarcoma in a

cat. Veterinary Dermatology 22(6): 565–569- Phelps H et al. (2011) Radical excision with five-centimeter mar-

gins for treatment of feline injection-site sarcomas: 91 cases (1998 2002). JAVMA 239(1):97-106

- Morrison W (2002) Cancer in dogs and cats, Medical and surgical-management. 2nd edition Teton NewMedia, USA

- Schmidt J et al. (2010) Feline paediatric oncology: retrospective assessment of 233 tumours from cats up to one year (1993 to 2008). J Small Animal Practice 51(6):306-311

- Weese J (2011) Methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infections in pets. The European J of Companion Animal Practice 21(1):101-110

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5. 07-11-2011

1. 28-10-2011 2. 28-10-2011

4. 28-10-2011

6. 11-11-2011

7. 18-11-2011 8. 25-01-2012