Adenocarcinoma is the second most common gastrointestinal tumour in cats, behind lymphoma. It is an aggressive carcinoma of the intestinal epithelium that usually grows as a ring around the bowel and has often spread by the time it is found. The exam question is normally an old cat with weeks to months of weight loss and vomiting, so the skill being tested is knowing how to confirm the diagnosis and what the realistic options are.
Key facts
Gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma at a glance- Species and system: cat, gastrointestinal tract (usually small intestine).
- Signalment: typical age 10 to 12 years; Siamese cats are predisposed to intestinal adenocarcinoma and lymphoma.
- Site: common in the jejunum and ileum, rare in the stomach and large intestine.
- Behaviour: locally invasive and metastatic; regional lymph node spread in up to 52%, lung spread in up to 20%, serosal invasion in about 85%, sometimes with carcinomatosis.
- Classic presentation: chronic weight loss, vomiting and anorexia, with or without a palpable abdominal mass.
- Treatment: surgical resection is the main option; chemotherapy has not been shown to be effective.
- Zoonotic or reportable: no.
What's inside
11 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 4 tables, 1 figure, 3 self-test questions and 8 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.