Message Number: YG5317 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-07-09 22:50:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Heliobacter related to Pancreatic Cancer?

--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., CandiceBush@a... wrote:
> I recently read a research article in human medical journal that
said there
> was link between heliobacter and pancreatic cancer. I wonder if
this could
> be true in ferrets as well?
> cb

I would want to say never, but the logical link is not there. There
are more plausible (though not proven) connections between
Helicobacter and various cancers in the stomach. Helicobacter has
been causally linked to a very small number of cases of gastric
adenocarcinoma in ferrets, as well as a special type of gastric
lymphoma.

The biggest problem is that Helicobacter is omnipresent in the pet
population, and these stomach tumors are extremely rare.
IfHelicobacter is indeed a player in the development of these tumors,
then there must be something else required.

With kindest regards,

Bruce Williams, DVM