Dr. Michelle Hawkins of UC Davis and one of her ferret health research
teams (another is studying cystine uroliths in ferrets) has found MEN
(Multiple Endocrinological Neoplasia) genetics in some ferrets, and
the last I heard they were looking to see if it confers increased
vulnerability to endocrinological malignancies as with other species.
Actually, if I recall right she will be speaking on it again soon or
recently has done so. Ah, yes, here we go: AEMV meeting in August

Dr. Bob Wagner of Pitt (U. of Pittsburgh) has found in some ferrets a
P53 genetic variant which reduces the ability to fight malignancies so
those little, early ones which bodies often fight off have more of a
chance to take hold and continue.

There are other genetic variants to check, too, of course.

Yes, acquiring malignancies can be a complicated picture and sometimes
not all that if found agrees (which makes the nuances of the ways in
which the studies differ important for finding useful hints) for
example, after a string of human and non-human studies linking low
exposures to complete darkness (and hence lower levels of naturally
produced melatonin) with decreased ability to fight hormonal
malignancies and with rates there has now been a very large
epidemiological study which did not find an effect on rates (but the
new study also did not sort for which of the night workers worked
indoors and which worked outdoors nor which took oral melatonin to
help them sleep during days).

BTW, here are two GREATLY USEFUL resources for MOST FML MEMBERS:

http://www.afip.org/ferrets/PDF/neoplasia.pdf

<http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/SCRIPTS/WA-FERRET.EXE? A2=ind0401&L=FERRET-SEARCH&P=R12970>

Some highlights:

>The proper term for what you are talking about is neoplasm (or
>literally "new growth).  For one reason or another, a clone of cells
>begins to grow uninhibited by normal substances or mechanisms. The
>word "tumor" may be technically correct, but it is actually non-
>specific - tumor is Latin for a swelling, but it could also be an
>abscess, or anything else that causes swelling - so I try to stay
>away from it.

(Dr. Bruce Williams who is a veterinarian, a veterinary pathologist,
a ferret specialist, and an expert on electronic/internet medicine.)

>Metastasis is the hallmark of malignancy.
(same)

>Adrenal carcinomas (malignant adrenal tumors) are interesting
>neoplasms. Although they possess the ability to metastasize, only a
>small number do, and usually only late in the course of disease.  It
>is likely that they do metastasize a lot, but have trouble gaining a
>foothold in distant tissues, so it takes a long time and many attempts
>if they ever truly metastasize.
>
>Insulinomas are generally not malignant tumors as they only very
>rarely metastasize.  The presence of multiple tumors in the same organ
>over time is not metastasis.  We do not understand the mechanism
>behind the generation of these tumors, and when we do surgery to
>remove them, we really are only treating the end point of this
>process, without address the cause.  Thus it is really no surprise
>that the rate of recurrence is about 40% within 10 months.

(same)

and there is plenty more! Useful resources!

Claire wrote:

>It may be that our ferrets are like the proverbial miner's canary.
>Perhaps they are simply more susceptible to the same environmental
>factors that will eventually affect us. Perhaps, instead of
>discontinuing breeding those lines, we need to adjust our home
>environments so that they -- and we -- do not develop those
>illnesses. Perhaps (at the risk of mixing metaphors) we need to
>make taller doorways. Interesting thought.

It is. Certainly, that has been the case with some other things. There
have been 2 or 3 people (at least one here on the FML) who found Carbon
Monoxide leaks due to ferret's sickening and in at least one case
dying, and at least one case I have heard of when a gas leak was
beginning beneath a stove that was found due to ferrets.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5710]