About one fourth of the tumors are ulcerated. The tumors are more common on the first front sets of mammary glands. In half of the cases, tumors are present in more than one gland. Swelling, pain, infection and fever may also be present. Treatment usually consists of surgical removal of the tumor and the surrounding mammary gland.
Some surgeons recommend complete removal of the entire mammary gland chain.
These tumors are extremely aggressive and because of the high incidence of metastasis with adenocarcinomas, an aggressive treatment approach is necessary. Proper identification of the removed tumor is always recommended to help determine if further treatments are necessary. Chemotherapy is often used in combination with surgical removal to increase survivability rates. Mitoxantrone, cytoxan and adriamycin are often used as chemotherapy agents in treating this tumor type. Because of the technical expertise needed to properly administer the newest and most effective chemotherapy drugs, a consultation with a boarded veterinary oncologist is recommended.