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My pet has a new bump. How do vets check if it's cancerous or not?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Is this round bump as shown in photo is cancerous or what is it exactly and how this can be treated?

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1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 14th, 2017

There is no way for me (or any other vet) to tell if the mass is cancerous or not just by looking at it. You will need to have your vet either surgically remove it and send it to a diagnostic laboratory so they can examine it under a microscope. Only then can you have a diagnosis of cancerous or not. There is a way to get a preliminary idea without surgery and that is with a fine needle aspirate. Your vet will put a needle directly into the mass (anesthesia is not required) and pull out some cells, put those cells on a microscope slide and then analyze them. This may give you a cursory idea of what type of mass it is. So, one of those things will need to be done before you can get an answer. Hope this helps.

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