4508.n ear tumour re-appears 3.5 months after excision by Vet 1 - Electro-excision

VETERINARY CASE STUDY - Give what the owner wants?
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow)
22 Dec 2022

Three and a half months ago, this 2-year-old Syrian hamster had a smelly ear tumour.  Vet 1 excised the ear tumour off the skin using the scalpel blade. He stitched up the wound. But the tumour re-appears in Dec 2022. "This is likely to be a cancerous tumour," I said to the young lady who WhatsApp the image to me. 

I proposed a wide excision to remove the ear pinnae, ear tumour and vertical ear canal. Any cancerous cells around the margins of the tumour would be removed to prevent relapse and worries. I WhatsApp my illustration of the surgery.

On the day of surgery, the young lady owner said, "Please do not cut off the ear, just cut off the tumour!"
"You know that the tumour may re-appear for the 3rd time if I just cut off the tumour as that was what Vet 1 did." She nodded. 
 

I used electricity to shell out the tumour. "The ear is still around," I said to the young lady. "But it has a hole!". Her eyes widened as she gave me a radiant smile. Her beloved pet still had the ear.

I hope that the electro-surgery had removed all cancer cells that had infilltrated the margins of the tumour. If not, another tumour will re-appear. Giving what the client wants is important, but she must be well informed of the consequences.

#singkongyuen

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TO BUY PHOTO:
www.shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets

UPDATE:
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2022/12/an-ear-tumour-re-appears-35-months.html