From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-05-11 21:00:00 UTC
Subject: Re: (help/advice req.)re:Transitional Cell Carcinoma
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "mrs_catseye" <mrs_catseye@h...>
wrote:
> our 8-yr-old male neut.ferret, Gusselwaite The Good, has been
> diagnosed with Transitional Cell Carcinoma, which is growing
rapidly
> and our vet has asked me to request Any pertinent medical info
> or "leads" to info about this form of cancer. Gusselwaite is fairly
> strong for his age and we are planning/have scheduled surgery for
the
> main tumor's removal (it's internal, near the lower colon) this
> coming Monday.
Currently, surgical resection is the only form of therapy which
offers a substantial cure rate, and even that is fairly low. Many
transitional cell carcinomas show microscopic invasion well beyond
the visible margin, so what appears to be adequate excision maynot
be. A number of chemotherapeutic agents are beginning to be
evaluated in dogs, such as piroxicam, carboplatin, and cisplatin, but
none have shown better effects than surgery, and doses for ferrets
have not been established.
If it is any consolation, you are currently pursuing the best form of
therapy at this time.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM