>Subject: Genetic Mutation Plays Major Role In Adrenal Cancers
>
>Here's a link with an article that studies genetic mutation and
>inheritance playing significant roles in adrenal cancer :
>
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/05/020509073545.htm
>
>Very interesting implications for the kids who have so many of these!
>Take care, hugs to all
>
>Gary & the gang of fur
 
Actually it is just what has always been suspected about
pheochromocytomas, the specific adrenal tumor that is being studied in
this article.  Actually pheochromocytomas can also arise in other areas
besides the adrenal.  It acts much different from our ferret adrenal
tumors.  It produces mostly adrenaline and other catecholamines, not the
sex hormones that our little guys tumors mostly produce.  Our ferrets
mainly get either hyperplasia of the gland, adenomas or adenocarcinomas.
 
I don't think we can extrapolate anything from this human study, except
that some tumors are inherited, and most are not.  For example, this
study found a gene linked to one specific tumor, and it is only found in
about 25% of those with this tumor, what about the other 75%?  one would
conclude they don't have a genetic reason to have that tumor.
 
Of course, even if it adrenal disease has a genetic link in some ferrets,
then what?  Which ones have the gene and which ones don't?  Will ALL
breeders be willing to cull their lines if this gene is located and
found?  Most likely the genetic mutation would be on mutilple loci,
variable expression, and so it would be a complicated inheritance
pattern, and not so simple to find and "breed out" I don't see it making
too much a difference for our ferrets.
 
However, I am sure there are genetic links to certain tumors that ferrets
do get, as well as cardiomyopathy and other diseases, it wouldn't be too
crazy to say this, since it is being found more and more in humans the
genetic link to certain diseases- or just the predisposition to develop
the disease if the conditions are just so.
 
Patty
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[Posted in FML issue 3779]