Vet Pathol Email Content Delivery
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ammersbach, M.
Right arrow Articles by Bienzle, D.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ammersbach, M.
Right arrow Articles by Bienzle, D.
Vet Pathol 45:663-673 (2008)
© 2008 American College of Veterinary Pathologists
LABORATORY ANIMALS

Laboratory Findings, Histopathology, and Immunophenotype of Lymphoma in Domestic Ferrets

M. Ammersbach, J. DeLay, J. L. Caswell, D. A. Smith, W. M. Taylor and D. Bienzle

Department of Pathobiology (MA, JLC, DAS, DB1), Animal Health Laboratory (JD), and Veterinary Teaching Hospital (WMT), University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada

Abstract

Lymphoma is a common tumor in ferrets, but anatomic distribution, histomorphology, immunophenotype, laboratory abnormalities, and response to chemotherapy are incompletely defined. In this study, lymphoma was diagnosed by histopathology of tumor tissue in 29 ferrets ranging in age from 0.8 to 8.5 years, including 12 males and 17 females. Tumors involved the viscera of the abdominal cavity (n = 11), thoracic cavity (n = 1), or abdominal and thoracic cavities (n = 7); the skin (n = 2); or the viscera of both body cavities plus other sites (n = 8). Microscopically, all tumors had diffuse architecture. Assessment by histomorphology and immunophenotype classified tumors as peripheral T-cell lymphoma (n = 17), anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma (n = 5), anaplastic large B-cell lymphoma (n = 4), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n = 1), and Hodgkin-like lymphoma (n = 2). Cytologic evaluation of tumor tissue was diagnostic in 11 of 13 cases. Twenty-two of 27 ferrets had anemia, 2 had leukemia, and 5 were neutropenic. Common comorbid disorders were adrenal disease (n = 27) and insulinoma (n = 6). Tumors most frequently involved mesenteric lymph nodes, while enlargement of peripheral lymph nodes was uncommon (n = 3). Ferrets with Hodgkin-like lymphoma had massive enlargement of single lymph nodes. Mean survival of ferrets not immediately euthanized was 5.0 months (T-cell lymphoma) and 8.4 months (B-cell lymphoma). Ferrets treated with chemotherapy survived an average of 4.3 months (T-cell lymphoma, n = 9) or 8.8 months (B-cell lymphoma, n = 4). Results indicate that lymphomas in ferrets most commonly affect abdominal viscera, may be amenable to cytologic diagnosis, are frequently associated with anemia and, in some cases, may be chemosensitive, resulting in relatively long survival times.

Key words: Hodgkin-like lymphoma; immunohistochemistry; lymphoma; lymphosarcoma; Mustela putorius furo.

Request reprints from Dr. D Bienzle, Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 (Canada). E-mail: dbienzle{at}uoguelph.ca






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2008 by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.