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Treatment

Surgery is the treatment of choice in adenocarcinoma of the gastrointestinal system, but a permanent cure is seldom achieved because metastasis (i.e., spreading) is common in affected patients. In cases of adenocarcinoma of the stomach, it is often difficult to remove all of the neoplastic tissue. In cases of neoplasm of intestines, the affected portion of the intestine is removed and the healthy portions of the intestine are sutured back together. Chemotherapy may be advised but it is usually unsuccessful. Painkillers are advised for lessening the pain associated with this neoplasm.

Living and Management

If surgery is performed on your dog, you may need to revisit your attending veterinarian every three months after surgery for progress evaluations. At each visit, your veterinarian will perform a physical examination, including X-ray and ultrasound imaging to see if tumor is re-growing or not.

These tumors typically grow rapidly, metastasizing to other parts and organs of the body. In cases of gastric adenocarcinoma, the survival time is usually two months, whereas in cases of intestinal neoplasm it is about ten months. But survival time is variable and can only be predicted by your veterinarian after complete evaluation of your dog.