From:
"Amanda"
Date: 2009-07-13 20:17:55 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Treatment for adrenal ferret
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
The link you provided is correct in the FH and LSH come from the pituitary gland in the brain. But, it is missing a very critical piece, which explains why many believe surgery is the only cure, and Lupron only treats the symptoms. The reason why the hypothalmus is stimulated to release GnRH (which in turn causes the pituitary to release FH and LSH) is because the hypothalmus is stimulated by hormones like estradiol and estrogen, which are over-produced by the adrenal gland when it is cancerous. Then, FH and LSH stimulate the adrenal glands. It's a vicious cycle really. Lupron works by OVER stimulating the pituitary (which at first causes a mass release of FH and LSH), and it is this overstimulation which eventually causes the pituitary to stop releasing FH and LSH. Adrenal cancer may be one of those "what came first, the chicken or the egg" dicussions. The current research shows that TOO much LSH over stimulates the adrenals, which in turn may lead to cancerous lesions. Once
the lesion is formed though, the hormones it releases cause more FH and LSH to be released, making things much worse. So, while the problem seem to begin at the brain, it is not because of cancer. It is probably a genetic precondition, or envirnomental, or both.
Correct me if I am wrong because this is an assumption, but I believe that extensive necropsies have been done on ferrets with adrenal cancer. I am sure it would have been discovered that this was a cancer originating in the brain and not in the adrenal gland by now. Again, that is my assumption though. I have no proof of this.
I hope this all makes sense. Feel free to email me personally if you would like to discuss more in depth. I am working on getting my PhD is chemical biology (should be done this fall!!), so I have a lot of experience in trying to understand the signaling that goes on in the body, in case you were wondering what my background is.
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Karen McCabe" <cinnamon_sprite@...> wrote:
>
> --- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, Caitlyn Martin <caitlynmmartin@> wrote:
> >
> > I am one of those people who still believe that surgery is the only
> > cure for adrenal disease.
>
> I really don't understand how it could be, as surgery does not address the problem at the root. Adrenal disease stems from hormones produced by the pituitary gland (in the brain). Removing the adrenal glands, even when both are completely removed, does not stop the pituitary from producing these hormones. As long as these hormones are being produced the disease persists, as even when both glands are completely removed fat tissue can respond. This article explains it much better then I could....
>
> http://www.ferretsanonymous.com/medical/oma/adrenal.html
>
> I've had the surgeries done, including bilaterals, I've done surgery and lupron, and I've done lupron alone. Personally, I've seen lupron alone show much better results (longer lives with much better quality).
>
>
> Karen McCabe
> http://www.cinnamonsprite.net
> http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/adrenalferretslist/
>
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