Hi All,

I'm reporting this to the group in hopes of finding information if
anyone has experienced this and what treatment did they use if any
and what was the end results. I'm looking for alternative to
conventional treatments. The tumour in his neck is not removable.

I have a middle-age male Ferret that came to me with a tumour in his
ear it was removed and has now come back. After the removal of the
tumour in his ear a mass started to grow in his neck. A biopsy
concluded both are cancerous but inconclusive if it started in the
ear and made it's way to the neck. Below are the biopsy reports.

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Mass from right ear canal, attached to caudal wall

Biopsy

DESCRIPTION/MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS/COMMENTS:

DESCRIPTION
The mass is a ceruminous gland carcinoma. It is a polypoid mass with
an ulcerated surface that is covered by fibrinosuppurative exudate.

The core of the mass is tightly packed irregularly dilated cysts that
often have papillated linings. They contain eosinophilic fluid. The
supporting stroma is dense collagen that contains infiltrates of
pigment-laden macrophages. The neoplastic cells are mostly cuboidal to
columnar, but there are areas where the cells are angular to polygonal.
They have discrete borders and abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm. Nuclei
are round with a stippled chromatin pattern and most cells have one or
2 small nucleoli. They exhibit about twofold anisokaryosis. In a few
areas, the tumor cells have a solid growth habit forming small round
nodules. In these nodules, there are up to 4 mitoses in a single
high-power field. Affected tissue is at the inked margin.

MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS
1.CERUMINOUS GLAND ADENOCARCINOMA

COMMENTS
As you know, these tumors are infiltrative and locally destructive.
They may metastasize to regional lymph nodes, but distant metastasis
is less comments. [SIC [mod]]

       ------------------

Mass (neck) Large mass in neck 2014.
Adenocarcinous removed from ear October 2013.

Received: Multiple fragments - all processed.

Biopsy

DESCRIPTION/MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS/COMMENTS:

DESCRIPTION
The Tru-Cut biopsies have captured an adenocarcinoma. The neoplastic
cells are hyperchromatic cuboidal to columnar epithelial cells that
are arranged in variably sized tubules. Many of the tubules contain
eosinophilic fluid. The cells have a high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio
and up to twofold anisokaryosis. Mitotic figures are sparse. The tumor
cells are growing within a very dense collagenous stroma that contains
infiltrates of neutrophils, a few lymphocytes and plasma cells, and
numerous hemosiderin-laden macrophages. In a few areas, the cells are
infiltrating in small clusters and as single cells throughout this
dense stroma.

MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS
1.INVASIVE ADENOCARCINOMA

COMMENTS
Unfortunately, the biopsies have captured a scirrhous adenocarcinoma.
The exact cell of origin cannot be determined with these samples, but
it is possible that it is related to the previously excised mass. Is
this mass located in the neck near the base of the same ear where the
previous carcinoma was excised? I looked for evidence of lymph node
architecture that would suggest that this is a metastatic focus, but
none is present here. If the mass is near the angle of the jaw, then
a salivary origin is possible.


Thanks

[Posted in FML 8064]