Signs of cancer Signs of Cancer in Animals Laura Blackwood, Clinical Studies Trust Fund Resident in Clinical Oncology, The Queen's Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge. There is no doubt that the early detection and treatment of tumours gives the patient the best possible chance of long term survival. Tumours can be divided into benign and malignant subcategories. Benign tumours tend to grow slowly, and to push adjacent tissue out of the way as they do this. They do not spread to other organs.
Malignant tumours grow rapidly, and invade and destroy adjacent structures as they increase in size.
These rumours spread to other organs. There are many possible signs of illness in animals, and this short article aims to identify some of the early signs of cancer in various sites which can be detected by owners. Many of these symptoms have numerous possible causes, and the diagnosis of cancer can rarely be made on the basis of clinical signs alone. Tumours which affect the accessible external organs are obviously easier to detect than those which affect the internal organs of the thoracic and abdominal cavity. We will work from the head to the tail, and then discuss the signs of cancer within the thorax and abdomen.