Yes!  Linda and Roger gave the best information anyone can receive when
lymphoma is suspected.  A biopsy is needed!  BTW, aspirates can give
both false negatives and false positives so when possible opt for an
excision of symptomatic tissue and pathology by a ferret knowledgeable
pathologist.  There have actually been ferrets destroyed who had
infections that would likely have been curable because their people were
so afraid that there might be a malignancy but then when pathology was
done there was no malignancy.  It is hard to do -- and I don't know if
anyone can really do it or if we all just vacillate -- but try to prepare
for the worst and learn how to treat it while realizing that the worst
may not happen.  It is NOT particularly unusual for infections to be
mistaken for lympho.
 
Like Linda pointed out: if it isn't lympho then steroids will slow
healing and that may even let an infection get a stronger hold.
Non-standard meds are not without their hazards, either.  Virtually ALL
-- repeat ALL -- medications have cautions as well as strengths.  If
something is strong enough to heal then it is strong enough to harm.  For
example licorice root is dangerous for cardiovascular health and hidden
heart disease is not unusual in older ferrets so the result may be
worsening, or thrown clots to an organ like brain, kidney, or lungs, or
to a limb.  Grapefruit can make certain meds react more strongly and has
caused over-dose type reactions in some people.  Food high in certain
minerals such as calcium can slow or prevent the uptake and utilization
of certain antibiotics.  Too much activity with a different class of
antibiotics (which I haven't heard of being used in ferrets) can result
in connective tissue injuries.  Macrobid, another antibiotic which I
haven't heard of ferrets taking, can reduce blood glucose levels in some
rare individuals and being one of those it was handy that I learned
beforehand so that I didn't panic and call 911 when I almost passed out
from it but instead yelled for Steve to bring me something sweet.  ALWAYS
learn the downsides as well as upsides of any type of med or supplement
you give because pretty well everything in this world does have downsides
as well as upsides, AND pretty much everything also has some things it
may interact with and some of those interactions can be bad ones.  My
biggest gripe about herbal books an sites has long been that so many do
not tell about these incredibly important cautions, though in recent
years more do and there are wonderful refs like the _OED for Herbal
Medicines_ which give complete pictures of the med -- upsides, downsides,
and unproven lore.  Giving cautions was one of the great gifts Mary C.,
whose field is herbal meds, gave us all when her home life demands were
lower and she was able to post more.  In the FML Archives you will find
a number of her posts telling about cautions in relation to assorted
alternative health approaches.  (The FML Archives' address is in the
header of every issue of the Ferret Mailing List.)
 
There is a LOT in both the FML Archives, FHL Archives, FHL Files and
Links, and Links from the IFC page which explain why adrenal growths DO
need care but are typically NOT a cause for panic.
 
In order of mention:
http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html,
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org,
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth,
http://www.ferretcongress.org.
 
An ESSENTIAL point about adrenal growths: a ferret does NOT need to
have more than one symptom to have adrenal neoplasia, in fact some are
asymptomactic.  Do be aware of other possible but less common causes for
the symptoms, though, like long term Pred use for fur loss, infection
for an enlarged vulva, infection for difficulty urinating, pain causing
aggression, sexual activity perhaps being triggered by an adrenal growth
in the recipient of the attention rather than the one giving the
attention, etc.
 
Behavioral changes to more baby-like ones, more aggressive ones, more
babying ones, ones normally avoided because they are disapproved, etc.
can signal a health problem, sometimes even pain and a vet exam makes
sense in such situations.  We had one little girl who would hold my big
toe in her mouth whenever she felt ill and it was a useful thing to know
about her.
[Posted in FML issue 4239]