From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-11-12 23:42:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Non-insulinomic pancreatic tumors?
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Dennis Jones" <ferritz@e...> wrote:
> During a recent surgery, some nodules were found on the pancreas.
My
> vet said they didn't quite look like insulinomas. He performed a
> partial pancreatectomy and sent them to a lab. The report came
back
> as noninsulinomic ?plasia (can't recall at the moment if it was neo
> or hyper). My vet ordered a second analysis, which hasn't come in
> yet. In the meantime, I'd like to know what tumors other than
islet
> cell can be found on the pancreas, and their characteristics. I
want
> to be prepared, and of course learn about the other possibilities.
Dear Dennis:
The masses that were removed from the pancreas are likely those of
hyperplasia of the exocrine pancreas - not the part of the pancreas
that secretes insulin, but the part that manufactures and packages
digestive enzymes. These are common aging changes in ferrets, and do
not cause any problem. They can be mistaken for insulinomas, but are
generally of no clinical significance. A second read on this tissue
is unlikely to change the diagnosis, especially since the vet said
that they did not look like insulinomas.
Other remote possibilities here, and these are well down the list,
are malignancies of the exocrine pancreas, and lymphoma.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM