Message Number: YG8153 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-10-24 14:20:00 UTC
Subject: Re: no surgery recommendation for insulinoma

--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., farrell_cynthia@h... wrote:
> One of our ferrets was just diagnosed with insulinoma, given that
she
> exhibited many of the symptoms and had a fasting BG level of around
> 60. We're unsure of her age, but believe she's about four, and is
> otherwise in good health.
>
> Our vet's recommendation was to not do surgery but treat it
> medically, putting our ferret on Prednisone. A consideration with
> the surgery was that there is no assurance for how long it would be
> effective, and in as little as 6 mo. we might be back where we
> started.
>
Dear Cynthia:

Here is the way that I usually approach this issue. Yes, 40% of
insulinomas recur in about 10 months or so. However that leaves
about a 60% cure rate.

Now if we assume that one month in a ferret's life equals about one
year in a human's life, let's make an analogy with you (nothing like
getting personal). If someone told you that you had a tumor, and
removing it surgically would ensure you a minimum of six years tumor-
free life, more likely ten years, and there would be a 60% chance
that you would never be bothered by it again, what would YOU do?

Additionally, when combined with partial pancreatectomy, the average
tumor-free interval jumps to about 12 months (published paper I wrote
with Charlie Weiss years ago in JAAHA.)

With kindest regards,

Bruce Williams, dVM