Unfortunately, oral masses and cancers are common in cats and dogs. Along with prevention of dental disease, annual or biannual COHATs (Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatments) can help detect these masses early when treatment may be more successful. It is also common to find oral masses incidentally during a COHAT because it is impossible to do a thorough oral exam on an awake cat or dog. We will briefly discuss some of the oral cancers we see and what you can do to seek treatment early.

Types of Oral Masses

Cats and dogs are both prone to oral cancer, but each has their own set of most common cancers seen. Some oral cancers can be benign, and some are more malignant. There can also be oral masses that are not cancerous at all. Benign tumors are those that do not spread to other areas of the body and are not very invasive into the tissue. Benign tumors usually can be removed relatively easily. By contrast, malignant tumors are more invasive and many of them spread to other areas of the body, making it difficult to remove or cure them. Non-cancerous masses are swellings of tissue due to inflammation or other non-cancerous reasons. Unfortunately, we cannot tell if a mass is a malignant, benign, or non-cancerous mass without removing it at least in part and sending it out for histopathology.

 

Common Oral Masses in Dogs

One of the most common oral tumors of dogs is thankfully a benign one. It is called a peripheral odontogenic fibroma, previously known as an epulis. This mass is typically associated with the periodontal ligament of the tooth, the muscle that surrounds and holds each tooth in place. Sometimes these masses are relatively small and can be removed without significant surgery. Other times, the masses can be quite large or come back after removal and require removal of the associated tooth to ensure it does not come back.

The next most common benign oral mass of dogs is an acanthomatous ameloblastoma. While these masses are benign, they are a little more invasive into the bone and require 1 cm margins to ensure they are completely removed and do not come back. This requires removal of bone and teeth with the mass. The earlier these masses are discovered, the less bone needs to be removed with it so early detection and diagnosis is key.

When it comes to malignant tumors in dogs, the most common is melanoma and make up 30-35% of malignant oral masses in dogs. These masses are often black in color, but not always, and can be found anywhere in the mouth. They can be very aggressive and grow quickly or they can be relatively benign and grow very slowly. This type of malignant cancer typically spreads to the lymph nodes. If surgical resection is attempted, they require 2 cm margins to be successful.

Common Oral Masses in Cats

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common oral mass in cats and the second most common in dogs. SCC makes up 17-25 % of oral malignant masses in dogs and 60-80% of oral tumors in cats. True to their form, cats rarely have benign oral tumors. Unfortunately, SCC is very invasive and often not diagnosed until it is significantly advanced. If diagnosed early and in an accessible area, these masses can be removed with 1 cm margins. This is usually not possible in cats due to their small size, but rarely can be accomplished in dogs if it has not already spread to other areas of the body.

Diagnosis and Treatment

When it comes to oral cancer, the best prognosis comes with early diagnosis and treatment. We highly recommend biannual to annual COHATs for all pets to help diagnose and treat any problems in the mouth that may have otherwise gone undetected until it is too late. At Mainely Veterinary Dentistry, we send out any oral mass to a pathologist for accurate diagnosis as some malignant tumors can look benign in the beginning. It is at this stage that these tumors are more treatable. If your pet has an oral mass or they have not had a COHAT recently, we recommend talking to your veterinarian or scheduling a consultation. You can schedule a consultation with Mainely Veterinary Dentistry online at mainelyvetdentistry.com or call us 207 481-8232.