Axial Skeletal Osteosarcom

News from the vet on Thursday. Osteosarcoma. A type of primary bone cancer. Rare in cats; extremely rare to have it present in the bones of the face. Lily's is in her maxilla (upper jaw). Thus it is called axial skeletal osteosarcoma.

From Googling, I've found only a little about the condition in cats. It is aggressive. It metastasizes to the lungs. [Edited: The oncologist later told me that osteosarcoma in the flat bones, as Lily has, does not normally metastasize. It is, however, locally invasive.] My vet couldn't give me much guidance about its progress. Looks like that with treatment (surgery/radiation/chemo), the median survival rate in cats is 5.5 months (from a very small study).

I am taking Lily to the oncology department at the Vet School at the University of PA on Tuesday. I will ask for X-ray to see how far it has invaded the bone and whether it has already gotten to her lungs.

I am not looking for heroic measures, but I am looking for quality palliative care. I also want to know how much quality life she has left.

This so sucks. Lily was feeling better today. The anesthesia and pain meds really put her down.