Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Parrot with cancerous ear tumors treated before euthanasia
By Houck, Emma L et al.·Published in Journal of avian medicine and surgery·2016·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bilateral Aural Adenocarcinoma in a Congo African Grey Parrot ( Psittacus erithacus erithacus).
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A 28-year-old female Congo African grey parrot was brought to the vet because of a mass in her left ear canal. A CT scan showed a tumor affecting the bone and soft tissue in that area, which was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma (a type of cancer). The owner opted for palliative care, and the vet performed surgery to reduce the size of the mass to prevent self-injury. Unfortunately, the parrot's condition worsened, leading to euthanasia about two months after her first visit due to the poor prognosis from the cancer spreading.
People also search for: parrot ear tumor · Congo African grey cancer treatment · parrot palliative care options
Abstract
A 28-year-old female Congo African grey parrot ( Psittacus erithacus erithacus) was evaluated because of a mass in the left external auditory meatus. Results of a computed tomography scan revealed an osteolytic left hemimandibular mass with irregular bone production and a soft tissue mass in the left external auditory meatus. Results of cytologic examination of fine needle aspirates of the hemimandible were interpreted as adenocarcinoma with reactive osteoblasts. The owner chose palliative treatment, and a debulking procedure was performed on the left external auditory meatus mass 52 days after initial presentation to control self-trauma. Euthanasia was elected 67 days after initial presentation because of poor prognosis associated with the development of bilateral masses of the external auditory meatus and lateral deviation of the mandible, findings that were confirmed by postmortem examination. Histopathologic results confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral aural adenocarcinoma with invasion of both temporal bones and hemimandibles.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27736232/