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Old 05-14-2021, 09:04 AM   #1
Penn
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Default Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

Hi everyone, long time no see!

My youngest boy Orion developed a lump near his eye. I did the customary googling and found some home-treatments on HamsterHideout for styes, so in hopes that's what it was I bought some Manuka honey and tried to treat it. But the lump did not get any better - in fact it seemed to be slowly getting bigger.



After the lump didn't seem to be vanishing or dimishing I took him to an Exotic Vet today who (after having to put him to sleep to even look at the lump because he was so scared) thinks it's a melanoma.

She gave me Loxicom to treat him with which can slow the growth before laying out my options.

The Vet said surgery was an option, but they would likely have to remove more tissue than I thought he would, and it's so close to the corner of his eye I anticipate he may even lose his eye. Trying to keep him from getting at the wound would be a nightmare. She also said that tumors like that, when remove tend to grow back more agressively also.

Has anyone else had surgery on a melanoma on their Ham and what was the outcome? What are peoples thoughts?

My instinct is to lean away from surgery but I don't want to make a kneejerk reaction because I'm scared he might be worse off. Any thoughts are appreciated!
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Old 05-14-2021, 09:52 AM   #2
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

Hello. So sorry to hear this. I have not had a melanoma in a hamster (but am an ex nurse). I have had hamsters with tumours - they can grow quickly and when they get too large it's often too late to operate as it's such a large area of their body. Age is often a deciding factor.

Our Syrian currently has a pea sized lump and I am expecting the vet to suggest surgery and I will go ahead with that if she does. He is about 18 months - fit and healthy generally. And the lump is not too large (yet).

It is uncertain as to whether it will grow back or more aggressively and some of that depends upon if the cancer is already in the system or still localised. And also what type of tumour it is. If surgery went ahead, the tumour could be analysed which would give an idea of whether it was a type that is likely to have spread or not, internally.

I think 21 months is a difficult call. If he was over age 2 I would say - maybe let him live out his life (but he may end up having to be pts if and when he starts to suffer more as loxicom won't be enough to prevent the pain of cancer eventually). But he could live another year if treated.

I am sure it would mean removing his eye personally - they need to remove the area surrounding a tumour to ensure it is all gone. But from your photo it doesn't look like a huge area for surgery. It would be very sad if he lost an eye - but he can manage without it and may live a more pain free life and maybe die naturally.

It is a really tough decision. But I think I would probably go for the surgery to try and avoid suffering. I am wondering if there are any further tests your vet can do to establish whether the cancer has spread within the body. Maybe a scan would show if there were other tumours. If there are then surgery would maybe not help apart from local comfort in that area.

How long has he had this eye lesion?

Last edited by Pebbles82; 05-14-2021 at 10:00 AM.
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Old 05-14-2021, 09:56 AM   #3
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Default Re: Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

If it has only been a week or two I would probably go with the surgery. Cancer is a horrible way to die/decline. If it has been there a while there is a likelihood it has already spread internally and I would ask for further investigation to establish this. Maybe a CT scan if possible which should give answers.

Vectis, an experienced breeder on here, has a very good article on caring for hamsters after surgery - it may not be the problem you imagine. At least he couldn't chew at it with it being his face. He may need a little collar to prevent scratching at it.

If there is no option for scans to check for secondaries I think I would just go for the surgery and keep your fingers crossed it hasn't spread but it's something that needs doing without delay really.

Caring for your Hamster after Surgery - Vectis Hamstery

Last edited by Pebbles82; 05-14-2021 at 10:05 AM.
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Old 05-15-2021, 04:38 PM   #4
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Default Re: Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

Hi Serendipity, thank you for such a well though out response!

It's been at least 4 weeks now since I actively noticed the lump. I was treating it at home with Manuka honey (cosmetic grade) in warm milk in the hopes that it was a stye and would go away over time. But it has instead slowly gotten bigger. - It's a little bigger than it looks in that photograph and has more texture to it. The vet said that the lump was solid and very well attached.

I think I am more inclined to say no to the surgery because this is my time taking a Ham to an exotic vet, and so I've never had a ham undergo surgery before, so it's hard for me to see the upside to it? I'm trying to weigh up everything in my head but it's difficult.

Pros to Surgery:
-It may have been caught early
-It may be benign (not cancerous)

Cons to surgery:
-He may not survive the anasthetic/surgery
-The lump (if cancerous) may already have spread.
- Keeping him from getting at the wound will be difficult
- If it has not spread it may grow back more agressively
- All of the above means I will have put him through a very stressful surgery for no reason.

I really am struggling with this. I could be ok with him losing an eye if I knew it would help more than hinder him. But if I put him through surgery and it winds up coming back worse, or he doesn't survive the surgey, it would break my heart and I would feel so so guilty.
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Old 05-15-2021, 05:58 PM   #5
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

It is hard. He will probably lose the sight of that eye anyway as the growth gets bigger and it could also be painful. Yes there is a risk he could die under the anaesthetic but many hamsters have ops and are fine.

It is easy to say for me as he's not my hamster. But it is weighing up the risks of pain and suffering with the risk of surgery that could relieve pain and suffering. If it was me I would go with the surgery. Knowing that there is a risk he may not survive the anaesthetic - but in that case, neither does he have to have long term suffering with cancer.

These growths are almost always cancer IMO. Even if it is benign to start with it can turn cancerous. And that is another reason to get it removed if it's benign.

Surgery can be a short thing and hamsters tend to recover quickly and get back to normal. if the wound does get infected he can have antibiotics.

I have never had a hamster have surgery before either but plenty of people on here have. If it can allow them to live out their lives without suffering from cancer I think it's worth doing. If it's left longer it could get very large and ulcerate (there are some really horrible weeping tumours around eyes) and even affect the brain and then he would have to be pts.

I am probably not helping but from where I am looking I think you need to get it removed and then take it from there. My vet said sometimes a lump does come back after being removed - but that may not be for some time and perhaps only if the other one had a bit left behind.

I had a robo with a few lumps and later regretted not having the surgery. By the time I had decided it was too late as they were too large and it would have affected too much of his body area. Then you have the hard decision of how long to let them keep going and when to have them pts.

To your hamster it will be no more stressful than any other vet visit - they won't know what's happened. But it gives them a chance of health for longer I think.

Our Syrians have all lived to about 2 years 8 months. That would be another year for your hammy. If the vet thinks it's cancer it probably is cancer.

I agree the unknowns are difficult. Not knowing if it has spread. But if he seems fine otherwise you can keep your fingers crossed that it has been caught early.

The other thing my vet said was - it doesn't really matter if it's benign or cancerous - a tumour is still toxic to their system (I cant remember how she explained that now).

Last edited by Pebbles82; 05-15-2021 at 06:09 PM.
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Old 05-18-2021, 10:15 AM   #6
hammies3
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Default Re: Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

I think Serendipity gave a great answer. For future reference though, please do not use any type honey to treat what you suspect to be a stye as it’s not sterile and could cause infection. It also doesn’t treat styes at all, that’s just an old wives tale. Also, styes tend to be red, not black like the growth on your sweet hamster. Again, this is all for future reference as I learned this when I had a similar experience to you <3
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Old 05-21-2021, 12:18 PM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

How are you getting on? I know another huge factor is the cost of surgery. People are usually recommended to have a vet fund for occasions like this. If it helps, our 20 month old Syrian just had surgery yesterday and was active in his cage last night. He’s doing fine. The vet said they had never had a pet die under anaesthetic yet so that was reassuring. Vet did a check first to make sure he was suitable for surgery and they wouldn’t do it if he wasn’t fit enough for surgery.

Our hammy has a huge line of stitches the full height of his body in one side but doesn’t seem too bothered and I set up a hospital tank so he doesn’t catch it on anything (no wheel at first). He is on Metacam post op for a few days (pain relief). That also helps prevent them scratching at the wound because they only tend to do that if it hurts apparently. The vet can also clip their nails at the same time as the surgery if they’re a bit long, so even less risk of it being scratched (that was offered at no extra cost to me - something they included) but my hammy’s nails didn’t need clipping.

They can bounce back very quickly. I know you are struggling with the decision. But maybe ask your vet to assess for and quote for surgery- if funds are a problem they might reduce the cost or let you pay by instalments.

Also it needs a good exotic vet who knows about hamsters really.

Last edited by Pebbles82; 05-21-2021 at 12:26 PM.
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Old 05-21-2021, 12:23 PM   #8
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Default Re: Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

Just realised ours is actually just over 20 months old now! Also just read back and saw your vet had already said surgery was an option. If the lump is solid, bigger and textured that sounds like something enclosed and easily visible to remove. There are always uncertainties but there is a chance it’s benign abd that could prevent cancer later if removed. It’s the uncertainty that’s difficult but my get feeling was - get rid of it!

Different thing altogether really but my Mother had pancreatic cancer - in her 80s. It’s the type that isn’t spotted for many years and people can die within 6 weeks of diagnosis. So it’s usually considered inoperable. But she wanted to live and the surgeon assessed and did surgery. She was lucky that her cancerous cyst was in an enclosed sac and so had not spread. She lived another two years which she wouldn’t have had without the surgery. And her ending was not as unpleasant as it would have been if the cancer had progressed. It did come back but not for a long time. On paper it sounds like numbers and statistics - another two years - but it’s life and more time to enjoy life.

So just saying - sometimes the gut feeling is - get rid of it before it gets worse. And we can get stuck with decisions. I wouldn’t worry about post op problems - that can be sorted. They don’t suffer post op as they have pain relief.

But it’s also a very personal decision. Vets know that so give you options. If my hammy had not been fit and healthy otherwise, I would gave thought twice. But if your hammy is well enough generally it might nit have spread.

Last edited by Pebbles82; 05-21-2021 at 12:47 PM.
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Old 06-07-2021, 09:49 PM   #9
Jeanbird7
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Default Re: Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

any word on Orion?
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Old 06-09-2021, 10:59 AM   #10
Penn
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Default Re: Melanoma on 21 month old Syrian - Surgery? Yes or No?

Hello everyone.

I'm sorry for not updating sooner. There's been a lot to process in between rushes of information.

To rewind a little. The Manuka honey & Milk treatment I was using was a recipe/guide I found on Hamster Hideaway which is a forum many reputable breeders use. I used cosmetic/medical-grade honey and sterile tools, so there was no risk of it causing infection. I was safe with him and I was doing it in the hopes the lump WAS a stye, an injury, or a cyst of some kind, and would heal quicker with treatment. I promise I'm not an idiot and I don't take "Home Remedies" lightly.

Following reading advice from you folks here and talking it out with a lot of people, I spoke to the vet with a vague plan of attack. She and I had a long conversation in which she was very gracious about all my fears and reservations.

I asked her what our options were realistically and safely. We agreed that doing a biopsy of the lump would give us the best idea of what it was and how to deal with it.

So, while Orion was under gas and air she drew some cells out of the lump with a needle (it did bleed a little which proved it has a blood supply). We waited for the results.

I got the results back a few days ago - High-Grade Malignant Melanoma.

I had no idea what the high-grade part meant until I googled it after my phone call with the vet - who is lovely.

She explained that it's aggressive, and invasive, and that what we can see on the surface (I.e. the lump near his eye) is likely just the tip of the iceberg. She said even if we'd biopsied it back when I first noticed it, it wouldn't have changed the outcome. She said judging by the lab results, it was likely any surgery would result in it growing back more aggressively.

So, he saw her once more last night. I'd noticed he had two small cuts on his back in between his shoulders - likely from scratching - and that his fur had started to thin quite quickly, which granted, may be due to the heat we've had here the past week or so. She gave me more Loxicom to continue treating him, and I don't think I'll be opting for surgery at this stage. It would be unfair for me to put him through that knowing that what I can see is just the surface.

I feel awful that Orion has probably been dealing with this for a good while, but what can we do when our babies show no symptoms...

So yeah, that's where we're at right now. It's rough knowing that we just have to wait for the decline. But I will not let him suffer, I swear it.


tl;dr. Opted to Biopsy the lump instead of going straight for surgery. Results came back as High-Grade Malignant Melanoma. The vet heavily implied she would not recommend surgery.
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