From:
Brett Middleton
Date: 2001-04-10 12:59:00 UTC
Subject: Pogey's histo -- unusual tumors
It took them 3 months, but I finally received the report, reproduced
below. My vet is having them double check the lungs, since there
doesn't seem to be anything in the report that would explain the
increasing breathing difficulty Pogey had during her last couple of
months.
To put the necropsy results in context, a little history is probably in
order. Pogey was found on my doorstep in late January 2000 showing
notable signs of adrenal disease. In March 2000 an ultrasound exam
detected an enlargement of the right adrenal, but she also had a high
white cell count, apparently from some chronic infection of unknown
origin. Dr. G felt that it was best to try to bring this down before
attempting surgery. In late May the adrenal symptoms were much worse
and an ultrasound exam now showed bilateral involvement, so we decided
to proceed to surgery despite our inability to identify and cure the
infection. In early June a bilateral adrenalectomy was performed, and
the histo showed adenoma in the left gland and carcinoma in the right.
Some small islet-cell tumors were removed from the pancreas at the same
time. In late June an ultrasound exam detected what appeared to be a
single heartworm. In late July a small epithelioma was removed from
her right shoulder. In late September a recheck failed to find any
sign of the hypothetical heartworm. In mid December there was still
no sign of a heartworm, but ultrasound showed a mass in her spleen and
another mass in the abdomen near the vena cava which might have been a
regrowth of remaining tissue from the right adrenal. At this time a
mass associated with her right caudal mammary gland was removed, which
proved to be a mammary hyperplasia containing some milk and some pre-
cancerous cells. On January 1, 2001 her rapidly-declining condition
prompted me to have her euthanized. Necropsy was performed immediately
and tissues were fixed for pathology. The final report follows:
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Histopathology
Fixed tissues from an approximately four year old ferret were submitted
to our lab for examination. Microscopically within the mammary gland
sections examined from the left caudal gland there were a few mammary
tubules which were dialated and contained proteinic fluid. Neutrophils
were present within a few of these tubules. Tissue from the right
caudal mammary gland had necrotic cells and neutrophils on the eroded
epithelial surface. Normal inflammatory cell reaction was present
around sutures within this tissue. The pancreatic tissue submitted had
small nodules of the acinar cells with a few neutrophils present.
Within the liver the hepatocytes were vacuolated and appear to contain
glycogen. There were multiple nodules in the liver consisting of
glandular epithelium arranged in tubules. This glandular epithelium
occasionally was vaculolated and appeared to contain lipid. The lumen
of these tubules often contained proteinic fluid and/or erythrocytes.
Within the spleen there was a larger mass present which was composed of
similar cells as were observed in the liver. There was a central area
of necrosis within the mass in the spleen. Within the lungs there was
a single area of mineralization noted. Lymph node sections examined
from this animal contained similar erythrocyte-filled dilated spaces as
were observed within the spleen and liver, but these dilated spaces did
not appear to be lined by glandular epithelium. Within the kidney
sections there was an increased thickness to the basement membrane of
some of the glomerula and within the interstitium of the medulla. Some
of the renal tubules were dilated. All the pathologists in the lab
have examined these slides microscopically. Special
immunohistochemical stains were applied to the tumor cells to try to
determine a cell of origin. These cells were [unreadable] positive and
cytokeratin negative. The original slides of tissue submitted to the
Pathology Department were requested and were examined also by our
pathologists. The tumors within the liver and spleen did have some
cells similar to those observed in the insulinoma.
Diagnosis
Metastatic poorly differentiated tubular adenosarcoma.
Comment
We were unable to determine the exact origin of the tumors within the
liver and pancreas. This tumor could have originated from the adrenal
tumor or be a variation of the insulinoma. The tumor was glandular in
appearance but very unusual. Thank you for submitting this interesting
case to us.
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[Dr. Williams, if you think this sounds interesting as well, I will be
glad to give you case number and contact info.]
Brett
*SLMW 1.0* Ferrets: They're not just pets, they're adventures!