Although an extremely rare condition, lung cancer in dogs can be a major threat to life. Lung cancer can be classified in two forms namely; primary and metastatic lung cancer. While the former characterizes a medical condition wherein the malignancy originates within the lungs itself, the latter denotes cancer that invades the lungs after spreading beyond its site of origin, which can be any other body part. |
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Primary lung cancer is fairly uncommon in dogs but they are relatively more prone to metastatic lung cancer. Canine lung cancer is generally diagnosed in an advanced stage of malignancy as the symptoms are not evident in the initial stages. With the proliferation of the cancerous cells, some of the symptoms that can assist in its detection include persistent dry cough that is at times accompanied by mucus and blood, as the tumor grows in size breathing disorders could occur owing to the compression of the wind pipe, lameness in cases wherein the cancer metastasizes to the limbs, exhaustion, and reduction in appetite and weight.
The preliminary step towards the identification of lung cancer is a chest X-ray. If a tumor is highlighted in the same, then further analysis is conducted through aspiration and biopsy to ascertain malignancy. Surgery is one the best options of treatment especially in cases where the malignancy is still restricted to the organ and the tumor is small in size. Surgery is usually followed up with chemotherapy or radiation therapy for optimum results. In circumstances where the tumor is too big to be removed, or in cases of metastatic lung cancer, chemotherapy is the only alternative. This therapy aims at retarding the growth of the cancerous cells. The dog may also be prescribed certain drugs for pain relief.
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