Prognosis factors for survival in cats after removal of a primary lung tumor: 21 cases (1979-1994)

Objective-To identify possible prognostic factors for survival time in cats with a primary lung tumor after surgical excision. Study Design-Retrospective clinical study. Animal Population-21 cats with histologically confirmed primary lung tumors removed surgically. Methods-Medical records for cats treated between 1979 and 1994 at 14 participating veterinary referral hospitals were reviewed. Results-After surgical resection and recovery, 18 cats died from metastatic disease with a median survival time of 115 days (range, 13 to 1,526 days). Three cats were lost to follow-up at 119 days, 251 days, and 410 days after the surgical procedure. Contingency table analysis to determine if an association existed between clinical findings (breed, age, gender, body weight, clinical signs, duration of clinical signs, and radiographic findings) or histological features and survival time was performed. Only histological morphology of the primary lung tumor showed a significant association with survival time. Twelve cats with moderately differentiated tumors had a significantly longer survival time (median, 698 days; range, 19 to 1,526 days) than the nine cats with poorly differentiated tumors (median, 75 days; range, 13 to 634 days). Conclusions - Surgical resection of a solitary primary lung tumor in cats is indicated. Clinical Relevance-A poor prognosis for long-term survival is warranted for those cats having a poorly differentiated primary lung tumor. (C)Copyright 1998 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.