My cat has a growing neck lump. Is it thyroid? What are next steps?

Question

Cat has lump in neck. Started as a small pea size 2 years ago, vet said was fine did not recommend biopsy u less lump grew in size. Fast forward 2 years to now and lump had swollen over the past 2 months to size of grape. Had biopsy and blood work done. Biopsy results were non diagnostic. Showed white cells but did not confirm what could be at all. Bloodiest showed only a “slightly” raised level of thyroid hormones (62). Vet now wants to perform risky removal near jugular vein without knowing. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 10 years and 6 months old | 11.8 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks is for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Your veterinarian may be suspicious of a thyroid tumor. The next step before considering surgery would be proceeding with a CT scan to check on how invasive the tumor appears to be. Then the next treatment option can be determined. A FNA can be performed at the time to determine the tumor type. If not too invasive, surgery may be possible. If too invasive, and this is a thyroid carcinoma (the most common tumor in that region), radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be next best options. The prognosis with these tumors depends on the type which is why that needs to be tested. Also, it depends on how invasive it is and if it can be resected. If you think you have more information on the case that you did not describe in the question, feel free to request a consultation with me and I can continue to help. Best of luck and have a blessed day!

My cat has a growing neck lump. Is it thyroid? What are next steps?

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