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Posted: 12th April 2023

Risk factors for mammary tumours in female cats
The average age of a female cat diagnosed with a mammary tumour was 12 years.
New study reveals older cats and purebreds at increased risk.

A new study on the epidemiology and risk factors for mammary tumours in female cats has found that age is a significant factor associated with diagnosis. Researchers found that the overall risk of mammary tumours in cats is low, but purebreds are at an increased risk, and contrary to previous work, neuter status was not associated with diagnosis.

For the study, researchers looked at electronic patient records of 259,869 female cats that attended 886 primary-care Vet Compass participating UK veterinary practices in 2016. The majority of previous studies have used data from referral centres.

The study found that the occurrence of mammary tumours in female cats was low; found in 0.1 per cent of the 259,869 patient records analysed for the study. The average age of a female cat diagnosed with a mammary tumour was 12 years, and purebred cats were 1.5 times more likely than the control group to be diagnosed with a tumour.

Researchers found that cats generally presented with multiple clinical signs, the most common being ulceration in the mammary region, weight loss, and firm mammary masses. Sixty-five per cent of cases did not undergo surgery, and the average survival time after diagnosis was 18.7 months.
 
The study authors hope that the results can help veterinary surgeons to identify cats at greater risk of mammary tumour, and advise on survival after diagnosis.

Dave Brodbelt, Professor of evidence-based veterinary medicine at the RVC said: “It is exciting to see this work coming out and updating our understanding of how mammary tumours present in cats in primary care veterinary practice. Though a relatively rare diagnosis, the study supports the finding that this is generally a condition of older cats and provides a useful update on the likely presentation and survival for cats in practice.”

The Royal Veterinary College study has been published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice.



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