From:
williamsb@comcast.net
Date: 2002-07-11 16:15:21 UTC
Subject: RE: Lymphnode Biopsy Question - Please reply
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <30996781.1026404121535.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Dear Lisa:
> I took Pam to the vet yesterday for a biopsy. .. The two in the groin area
> are very large (I mean BIG) but when I picked her up after the surgery,
> I saw they only removed one small one from the back of her leg.
> Is this normal practice?
The popliteal lymph nodes behind the knee are some of the easiest to remove, which lessens the time of anesthesia. The only thing is that hopefully they were enlarged as well, so will give a true picture.
Removing the two very large ones from the groin would likely have been more difficult, more bloody, and had a prolonged recovery time.
I called before the surgery to tell the vet for
> the past few days, Pams stools have been "thinner" and I wondered if it
> was the large lymphnodes in the abdomen pressing up against something.
> Is that possible?
Possible, but first let's look at a simpler answer - not as much food intake.
> Question about treatments: Whether it is cancer or not, will future treatments
> (possibly prednisone and cyn-something?) shrink the lymphnodes or stop
> them from growing?
Most chemotherapeutic treatments for lymphoma result in initial shrinkage of teh nodes - the question is for how long until they start growing again and chemotherapy is no longer effective.
Bruce Williams, DVM