If you are a new pet owner, you may not be used to the terms that your veterinarian uses to describe procedures and tactics that will be performed on your pet. It is important that you understand what your veterinarian is talking about when it comes to treatments, as this could be serious and important information in the future.

One of the most common words that veterinarians use is the word "cytology." Veterinarians can obtain cytology samples when they use fine needle aspirates. These are small needles that are inserted into a tumor on the pet's body. The aspirates then bring up cells from the tumor. The material can be placed on a slide and analyzed to determine the nature of a pet's tumor. Sometimes, cytology does not present an accurate representation of the medical condition of a pet, because parts of a tumor may be cancerous while other parts are not.

Another common procedure to be familiar with is a "biopsy." Similar to biopsies done on humans, these samples are obtained by an incisional biopsy or an excisional biopsy. Incisional biopsies are when a small piece of tissue is extracted from a large tumor to be analyzed. An excisional biopsy happens when the veterinarians decide to remove an entire tumor, body part, or affected location. It is best to do an incisional biopsy first before performing the excisional procedure.

After the biopsy procedure, your veterinarian may refer to a "grade" that you need to use. A grade can only be determined when a biopsy is performed on a tumor and cannot be learned through cytology. Tumors are typically referred to as high-grade or low-grade. Not all tumors have a grading scheme, but it is important that a pathologist assigns a grade to any animal tumors that can qualify for one.

You should also be familiar with the term "stage." This is the location in the body where the veterinarian discovered cancer. Like humans, pets with cancer need to undergo staging tests to learn "what stage" they are in. Dogs with lymphoma, for example, can be assigned to one of five different states. The stage of cancer is important because different stages will result in different cancer treatments. Veterinarians will probably want to run many tests to learn what stage of cancer your pet is in.

Sometimes veterinarians will describe a certain tumor as "aggressive." This means that the tumor is extremely difficult to remove surgically, or is likely to spread through the body and affect other areas. There are times that aggressive tumors will do both of these things at the same time. Aggressive cancer typically needs to be caught in the early stages or it can result in severe illness or death.

If your veterinarian says that your pet's cancer is in "remission" this is an excellent thing to hear. Remission typically refers to a description of cancer that is at such low levels that it cannot be detected by a test. Remission does not mean that the cancer is cured, but it represents the fact that treatments are working and a pet is slowing recovering.

We typically refer to remission when we describe the treatment of blood-borne cancers. These include conditions like lymphoma, histiocyctic tumors, mast cell tumors or leukemia. If your pet has cancer and you are looking for a veterinarian near you to issue the treatments necessary, then use this directory to find a local veterinarian who is willing to assist you and help your pet recover. With the right veterinarian there to help you may be able to see your pet go from precarious illness to optimum health.