As pets grow and get older, they can develop lumps and bumps throughout their body. Although it is more common for older pets to develop skin masses, younger pets can develop them too. On many occasions skin masses are classified as benign. Sometimes, however, they can be malignant and cause problems. The best course of action to determine whether a lump or bump in your pet’s skin is benign or malignant is to have it evaluated by your veterinarian.
More than likely, a fine needle aspirate for cytology evaluation will be recommended to determine if further medical care is needed.A non-invasive technique that can be used to determine whether a skin mass is benign or malignant is a fine needle aspirate. This technique involves obtaining samples from the mass or abnormal tissue using a small needle. The sample obtained is then gently expelled onto a clean glass slide with the help of an empty syringe and examined with a microscope. This technique does not require sedation and can be rapidly performed.
Examples of benign masses in the skin include fatty tumors
(also known as lipomas), sebaceous cysts, sebaceous adenomas, warts, skin tags,
and benign tumors such as histiocytomas, among others. Unless they are causing
a problem for your pet, such as impacting mobility or causing skin irritation,
these don’t always require additional medical care and can be closely
monitored.
Examples of malignant masses in the skin include certain
types of cancer such as mast cell tumor, carcinoma, melanoma, soft tissue
sarcomas, and hemangiosarcoma, among others. Because malignant masses can be
locally aggressive and spread to other locations in the body, such as the lymph nodes and the lungs (also known as metastasis) further medical care such as
surgery and possibly chemotherapy are usually needed as well.Learn more about Pet Cancer Care at VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital @
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