Why didn't my cat's lymphoma show in bloodwork? Can it be removed?

Question

Hi trixie was just diagnosed with small cell lymphoma and we’ve met with an oncologist for a treatment plan. Why is it that lymphoma never showed up in the bloodwork that we’ve taken several times in the last couple months? .. It could only be confirmed via biopsy. also if small cell lymphoma is a cancer in the Walls of the intestine why can’t it be removed surgically? Thanks. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 11 years and 8 months old | 11.5 lbs

Makenzie Kurth, DVM · Accepted Answer

These are great questions. Contrary to popular belief, most cancer patients in veterinary medicine have completely unremarkable bloodwork. Just because there are many extra lymphocytes in the walls of the intestines, does not mean there are extra lymphocytes in the blood stream - where our sample comes from. We can be suspicious of it from an ultrasound but cannot truly diagnose it without the biopsy. As for the second part, small cell lymphoma is a disease that affects large sections of or almost the entire small bowel. It is not a single mass that can be removed. Luckily for you, small cell lymphoma responds well to chemotherapy in most cases. Best wishes to you and Trixie.

Why didn't my cat's lymphoma show in bloodwork? Can it be removed?

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