From:
sukieferret
Date: 2002-01-23 19:11:00 UTC
Subject: Re: adrenal and insulinoma malignancies ??
Yes, meat baby food in addition to his regular food will help him
gain weight, as will a/d.
We personally don't give prednisone before adrenal surgeries.
You'll be glad to learn that most of such growths are NOT
cancers.
This FHL Golden Oldie may be useful for more folks than you,
so, please allow me to take this opportunity to include it:
From: "Bruce Williams, DVM"
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., ferret mom <ferrets_985@y...>
wrote:
> I'm a bit confused on the fact that sometimes I see
> all adrenal tumors referred to as malignancies or
> cancers. I guess that's where I'm confused. Are all
> malignancies cancer and all cancers malignancies?
> Does one of these terrible words have a double meaning
> of just being a tumor and not what I usually think of
> when I hear the words? I think of them as
> interchangeable. I know the tumor that was in the
> gland removed from my girl was not actually cancer. It
> was described as a neoplasm. Are all insulinomas
> cancer that will spread out of the pancreas and effect
> other organs? Or are they non cancerous in some or
> all of the cases? My girl also had an insulinoma
> removed. She had no symptoms and the insulinoma was
> found during the adrenal surgery. So far she has a
> normal sugar that is holding at around 120 when she
> has been tested.
The thread on this is pretty good, and both Sukie and Stephanie
have very valid points. The terminology of neoplasms can be
confusing, and I'm sure even vets can be confused from time to
time.
The proper term for what you are talking about is neoplasm (or
literally "new growth). For one reason or another, a clone of cells
begins to grow uninhibited by normal substances or
mechanisms. The word "tumor" may be technically correct, but it
is actually non-specific - tumor is Latin for a swelling, but it could
also be an abscess, or anything else that causes swelling - so I
try to stay away from it.
Now this neoplasm may be benign - without the ability for cells to
detach into the bloodstream or lymph, move to another tissue,
and set up shop - or malignant (where they can do this.) The
process of microscopic piece of a tumor moving to another
organ is called metastasis.
Metastasis is the hallmark of malignancy. The worst tumors
have the propensity to go anywhere and start growing (like
lymphoma). However, we can recognize malignant tumors even
before they metastasize, often by characteristic features seen
under the microscope.
Adrenal carcinomas (malignant adrenal tumors) are interesting
neoplasms. Although they possess the ability to metastasize,
only a small number do, and usually only late in the course of
disease. It is likely that they do metastasize a lot, but have
trouble gaining a foothold in distant tissues, so it takes a long
time and many attempts if they ever truly metastasize.
Insulinomas are generally not malignant tumors as they only
very rarely metastasize. The presence of multiple tumors in the
same organ over time is not metastasis. We do not understand
the mechanism behind the generation of these tumors, and
when we do surgery to remove them, we really are only treating
the end point of this process, without address the cause. Thus it
is really no surprise that the rate of recurrence is about 40%
within 10 months.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
and if you need some more definitions (corrections welcome):
These definitions are combined ones from medical, veterinary,
and biology dictionaries, but emphases are mine and i am
willing to be corrected if I blew it...
Important Note: some more recent dictionaries don't even
include the term cancer, and I have heard vets who won't use it
due to the widespread confusion out there, and even some vets
who won't use "tumor' due to too many assuming that any tumor
is malignant.
Tumor: ANY abnormal mass resulting from the excessive
multiplication of cells; a swelling, especially that resulting from
the growth of new tissue; a neoplasm
cancer: Any MALIGNANT TUMOR; carcinoma; a carcinoma or
sarcoma
malignant: pertaining to or denoting progressive growth of
CERTAIN tumors which if not checked by treatment spread to
DISTANT sites, terminating in death; a tendency to progress in
virulence, cancer is the best known example
benign: not malignant, as in CERTAIN TUMORS; not recurrent,
favorable for recovery
neoplasm: a tumor; any new growth, specifically one in which
cell multiplication is uncontrolled and progressive, neoplasms
may be benign or malignant
(Subsets from Saunders:
neoplasm, benign: a neoplasm having none of the
characteristics of a malignant neoplasm (see below), i.e.it grows
SLOWLY, expands WITHOUT METASTASIS, and USUALLY does
not reoccur
neoplasm, malignant: a neoplasm with the characteristics of
anaplasia, invasiveness and metastasis
There are several other subsets of neoplasia in this dictionary.
metastasis: the transfer or disease from one organ or part to
another NOT DIRECTLY CONNECTED WITH IT
anaplasia: loss of differentiation of cells
Those who have the _Saunder's Comprehensive Veterinary
Dictionary_ will find that this resource often provides details
beyond these bare-bones descriptions, (though certainly there
also will be nuances in practise that those of us who are not
medical professionals simply won't understand). It is a
marvelous resource; I love it. If I had a rating for refs around here
it would be among the best buys. It's better than any of my other
medical dictionaries, even for sorting through things too
technical for me in the _PDR_ books on herbs and on
supplements that i have at home. Marvelous book: clearly
written and very inclusive; more than worth what it cost.
------
Original post:
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Anais <anaisdog@y...> wrote:
> Hello All:
>
> I have a 6.5 year old male fixed ferret (not MF) who
> is showing signs of adrenal cancer, esp the hair loss
> in random parts of the body, not just his tail, as
> well as some weight loss. Other than these symptoms,
> he's eating Totally ferret just fine, active,
> drinking, etc... What can I do before his surgery to
> "pump him up" to make his recovery easier? Would
> giving him extra food, like a meat baby food, help put
> on some weight? And for the recovery, is the amount
> of water (Pedialyte) still recommended 1cc per 1lb of
> ferret per hour, 24 hours a day?
>
> It's been a while since I had a surgery and I want
> this one to be as easy as possible on Quark.
>
> thank you
>
> becki kain
>
>
>
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