From:
Pam Sessoms
Date: 2003-06-03 16:14:54 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] vena cava ligation chances? referrals?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <Pine.A41.4.44+UNC.0306030951550.62766-100000@login7.isis.unc.edu>
> The main problem in a tumor wich round vena cava is a possibility of
> metastasis wich can appear from 6 months to 2 years after surgery. In
> fact, I have another doubt : How many adrenal tumors are malignant? Does
> anybody have this information?
Dr. Williams did a study a few years ago of samples submitted to the AFIP.
That study found: 45% carcinomas; 45% hyperplasias; 10% adenomas. He has
these numbers on the two following web pages:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/ferret.path.html
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/aae.html
I do not know if that basic ratio still seems to be about right.
> And what is the treatment of this tumors? Only surgery? Chemotherapy?
In the US, surgery is usually the suggested course; generally it's found
that metastasis from adrenal carcinomas rarely occurs, and usually very
late in the game, with the carcinomas having a similar prognosis to the
hyperplasias and adenomas. Of course, there are rare exceptions. I've
not heard of chemotherapy being used for adrenal disease in ferrets,
although perhaps someone will post that it's been tried. Lysodren comes
up sometimes, more in the past than now, to kill off adrenal tissue, but
it's problematic for a few reasons (for one thing, it tends to lower the
blood sugar, which is the last thing many of these ferrets needed). Now
the tendency for medical treatment is towards Lupron and/or melatonin to
interrupt the sex hormones put out by the diseased adrenal, but those are
more palliative and it's reported that Lupron does not work so well with
carcinomas.
(not a vet)
-Pam S.