Has anyone had a senior pittie live for several years with untreated mast cell?

Hi all,

I have a 10 year old pitty who has had multiple surgeries throughout his live to remove various skin masses (low grade mast cells, hemangiomas, and cysts). He had one mast cell tumor that was untreated for ~ 3 years (his old vet dismissed it as a cyst and I did not know any better at the time). Once it was removed, it was low grade and he has been well since.

Anyways, I know treatment is of course the best thing to do, but in the last 2 years my dog has developed a heart murmur that is manageable, but makes him a risky candidate for surgery. He has recently had a few small superficial masses show up in the last couple months (no growth, unchanged), but I worry they are small mast cells based on appearance. I’m weighing if the risks of surgery is worth it right now, or if these small masses can be closely monitored. I also dont think chemo would be fair to him at this stage in his life. I am just torn on how to deal with the many lumps that come with an older pit. At what point is it better for the pup to monitor?