Nasal SCC in a cat

Re: Nasal SCC in a cat

Judith Joyce — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 10:34:32 GMT

A little concerned about this thread.

We are a surgical referral practice and consequently see a few nasal SCC cases. Surgery on confirmed cases remains the simplest effective treatment (some of the cases we see come with a "confident clinical diagnosis" but nothing more - in my book they are SCC only when a good patholigist has told me). The surgery is neither costly nor difficult and the required instrumentation is limited to knife, needle and thread. The cosmetic results can be a barrier but putting owners in contact with owners of previously operated cats usually puts minds at rest.

My reason for posting is that over the last couple of years we have seen three cats that I can recall that had previously been treated using some of the creams and sub-total cryo described above. I can't know how often such therapies might work but I do know that on at least three occassions, they had failed. In all three cases the owners had seemed unaware of how potentially nasty this dx actually is and in each case the speculative treatments their cats had been given were sold to them as equally valid, equally effective alternatives to early appropriate surgery - a view that was supported by my perusal of the histories that came with each case. Two of three we operated sucessfully (so far) but the surgery was much bigger than would have been necessary on day 1. The third had gone beyond anything I could cut and the owners declined alternatives.

Interesting aside, given the recent correspondence in Vet Times and elsewhere about the cost of referral - one of these three cats was insured and our fees were rather less than half what the insurance company spent in total resolving this cat's SCC. Things that cost a lot aren't always expensive!

Malcolm N

Re: Nasal SCC in a cat

Mark Holmes — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:51:35 GMT

[quote user="Noweia"]

For a practice without a cryosurgery unit, how effective so you think the OTC verruca and wart freezing kits would be?

[/quote]

My first line treatment for histiocytomas (for which they are REALLY effective... little bit of local and then freeze/thaw a few times and they have usually gone in a couple of days) but other then that useless.

Re: Nasal SCC in a cat

Rob Davis — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 09:20:22 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]

[quote user="Noweia"]

For a practice without a cryosurgery unit, how effective so you think the OTC verruca and wart freezing kits would be?

[/quote]

My little dog has a warty/skin tag and I tried one of them 4 times. No good.

[/quote]

I have also tried these in the past and found them a complete waste of time.

Re: Nasal SCC in a cat

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:01:09 GMT

[quote user="Noweia"]

For a practice without a cryosurgery unit, how effective so you think the OTC verruca and wart freezing kits would be?

[/quote]

My little dog has a warty/skin tag and I tried one of them 4 times. No good.

Re: Nasal SCC in a cat

Noweia — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:28:18 GMT

For a practice without a cryosurgery unit, how effective so you think the OTC verruca and wart freezing kits would be?

Re: Nasal SCC in a cat

shanley barber — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:01:56 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]

Have you considered referral for photodynamic therpay?

[/quote]

Yes, we had a long discussion about it, but cost is an issue, and they are adamant they don't want the cat anaesthetized. Strontium (at Animal Health Trust in Newmarket) sounded like a good option (cheap, effective, minimal fuss but good remission rates).

Re: Nasal SCC in a cat

Thomas Johnson — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:34:11 GMT

Have you considered referral for photodynamic therpay?

Re: Nasal SCC in a cat

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:27:37 GMT

I have personal experience with my own cat and I zapped it with cryosurgery, a 2 minute procedure under heavy sedation. I've used that on most of the cats I see with even quite nasty nasal SCC and it works well. We just have a very ancient cryosurgery unit that runs off a nitrous oxide cylinder. Some superficial ones will respond reasonably well to steroid cream but as ever with cats its stopping them licking it off and it is only a short lived effect. Cryo seems to give long term remission.