To Lynn McIntosh - >There was a message from someone that had their 3-year-old Tessa diagnosed >with lymphosarcoma today on the FML. The vet diagnosed with a blood test. >Could a blood test give an accurate diagnosis? No - I have been campaigning against this for years. Only in severe cases of lymphosarcoma are peripheral blood tests of any help, and they still have to be followed up by a biopsy of a lymph node. >Is weight gain a symptom of lymphosarcoma? No - ferrets with lymphosarcoma, or other tumors, LOSE weight - most of the body's nutrients are redirected into providing fuel for the rapid division of tumor cells. >lymph nodes do feel pretty swollen in the shoulder and behind the >kneecaps, but it also feels that there is extra tissue around the nodes in >the shoulder area (fat?) and behind kneecaps (fat?). She's been on the >antibiotic now for four and 1/2 days, and I don't think there is a change >(this is explained in my forwarded message below). What should I do? Let's wait until the baby is weaned - with no symptoms, and a questionable diagnosis at best, with fat as the main ruleout - I don't think we need to rush into anything here... >(Dr. Williams, you said take the whole node, but my vet doesn't want to, >saying it's part of her defense system against disease. But would a wedge >be enough?) A wedge wouldn't be very good - chopping a piece out tends to distort the architecture of the node - which is often the way a diagnosis is made. I promise you - taking out a node won't really affect Claudette's immune system - the lymphatic system has a lot of redundancy. Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP Chief Pathologist, AccuPath Dept. of Veterinary Pathology [log in to unmask] Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1499]