“Furthermore, tumor cells are not controlled by the endocrine and neurological controls that the body’s cells are normally under. For one thing, “the outside of these cells appears as ‘self,’ so the body’s immune system does not try to destroy them or stop them,” Cathy Johnson-Delaney, DVM, says. These out-of-control cells can be a tough enemy to stop. These cells just keep multiplying, with no end in sight. The abnormal cell, however, will keep dividing and forming more cells without order or control. For instance, a normal skin cell will divide and multiply just enough to make a new layer of skin and then quit. These abnormal cells do not divide and replicate themselves to a certain point and then stop, like they should. Tumors are caused by errors or mutations in the DNA of cells. A tumor takes up space, and wherever it is in the body, if it continues to grow, it’s going to displace or change what’s going on with the surrounding organs,” Phalen said.Ī benign kidney tumor, for example, can put pressure on the sciatic nerves to the leg and make it painful for the bird to use that foot. “Internal benign tumors can also put pressure on the bird’s organs, which can be painful or uncomfortable. Your veterinarian may also want to remove a benign tumor even if it isn’t growing if it is in a spot that’s bothering your bird in some way. If the tumor suddenly starts growing, that would warrant a trip to the veterinary clinic to have the mass taken off. If a benign tumor’s not getting any bigger and it’s in a spot where it’s not causing any problems, it may not need to be removed, but you still need to watch it, he said. But while benign tumors do not metastasize, they are still not something to just ignore, Nye stresses. Malignant tumors also tend to grow faster than benign tumors, he adds. “Even if a malignant tumor is removed, its cells may have gone to other tissues in the body, resulting in the development of additional tumors,” Nye says. This is done through the process of metastasis, wherein cancer cells break away from a malignant tumor and travel through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system to form new, secondary tumors in other parts of the body. Malignant tumors, on the other hand, can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. He says benign tumors can normally be removed without too much trouble, and in most cases, do not come back. They may still grow, but they proliferate very slowly,” explains Richard Nye, DVM, a veterinarian in Illinois. “Benign tumors tend to stay within one location in the body and do not spread to other areas. Either type of tumor can be life-threatening to pet birds, but benign growths are generally considered to be less serious than malignant tumors. Tumors come in two main types: the benign (non-cancerous) ones and the malignant (cancerous) kinds. Tumors are usually much more urgent matters than the other kinds of lumps and bumps just mentioned. A tumor can occur anywhere on the body, and may protrude from the skin, under the skin, or grow inside the body. In contrast, a tumor (or “neoplasm” as it’s known by medical professionals) is a solid mass of tissue and, depending on the type of tumor, it may grow very quickly and spread. Cysts are generally not serious, he adds. Cysts are not cancerous and do not grow or spread like tumors do, although they might get bigger because they have fluid inside, notes David Phalen, DVM, an avian researcher and associate professor at Texas A & M University. Feather cysts, for instance, are filled with keratin. A cyst is a tissue sac that is filled with fluid or other loose material. Many times though, a lump is actually a cyst. Swellings can also be due to an organ, such as the kidney or liver, enlarging from disease. If the bird is a female, an abdominal bulge may in fact be an egg. Other masses are actually large deposits of fat that are beneath the skin, similar to a “spare tire” in people. Some lumps are abscesses, which are areas of tissue that have become swollen and inflamed by bacterial infections. Of course, these bumps may or may not be tumors. Pet birds and parrots can and do develop abnormal lumps and bumps, both on their skin and inside their body.
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