Message Number: YG13270 | New FHL Archives Search
From: dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-05-25 06:55:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Malignant cancer-not lymphoma-advice needed

--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Christine Bertch <moogirl@m...> wrote:
> Hello everyone,
> I'm looking for some advice with my little 6 year old girl
Bandit.
> Tuesday she was not able to walk, but she was alert and wanting to
eat and
> drink so it didn't look like insulinoma. Then I noticed that she
had
> swelling in her front and rear paws. We took her to the vet and
had several
> things done. X-rays (showed nothing remarkable), heart sounded
good,
> bloodwork came back relatively normal just a little low PCV and
blood sugar.
> The vet also did a fine needle aspirate of the spleen (she has had
an
> enlarged spleen for several months now) and even a spinal tap. The
only
> thing that was found with the pathology report were glandular
epithelial
> cells which apparently indicate some kind of cancer, but it is not
lymphoma.
> Due to the nature of aspiration, we can't tell where the tumor cells
> originated without doing exploratory surgery

Dear Christine -

Malignant insulinoma are exceedingly rare - I saw my first one just
last month after ten years - I am hesitant to jump to the conclusion
of a malignancy here, as it is also the nature of aspiration that you
may inadvertently hit a glandular organ on the way to the spleen -
and then you don't get what you expect. I have had many liver
aspirates submitted as spleen.

this is not to say that all is well with Bandit, but I would suggest
that if you can get her into a better state, that a quick surgery
would be in order. Adrenal tumors can also be glandular, but don't
carry all that bad a prognosis if caught early.

With kindest regards,

Bruce Williams, DVM