Tumor active in acromegaly

Discussion in 'Acromegaly / IAA / Cushings Cats' started by Judy and Freckles, Mar 21, 2020.

  1. Judy and Freckles

    Judy and Freckles Well-Known Member

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    Oct 20, 2019
    I'm wondering if anyone has come across information/research regarding how BG numbers correspond with tumor activity? Can the tumor become inactive?
     
  2. Wendy&Neko

    Wendy&Neko Senior Member Moderator

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    Feb 28, 2012
    We do know the tumour pulses up and down. There have been cases, as you have seen one, of acros going into remission on their own. It is rare, or at least the data about it is rare. More often, though still not common, we see cats come out of remission and test positive for acromegaly. Were they acro the first time on the juice? Who knows, most of them didn't get to a dose where we suggest testing. So that may add to the number who went into remission on their own before the tumour pulsed and they came back.

    There are also known cases of acrocats that were not diabetic. Here is a paper describing three cases. I have heard of others.

    The tumour can also become less active or inactive with treatment, such as radiation therapy and cabergoline or other medical treatments. In those cases, the insulin dose required goes down, some go into remission, so it is impacting BG.

    And the tumour can correspondingly ramp up again. Neko late July 2015 is an example.
     
  3. Karen & Lily

    Karen & Lily Member

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    Nov 24, 2015
    I believe Lily's tumor stopped pulsing and that's why she is off of insulin. My vet thought perhaps it could be that Lily had an insulinoma on her pancreas but my gut says no. Plus I believe that with an insulinoma the cat would be at a risk of a hypo. So far Lily's BG hasn't gone too low.
     
  4. Cleocatra

    Cleocatra Member

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    Feb 2, 2020
    I'm getting Cleo's BG#s down in the 300's and low 400's but her appetite seems to be controlling her life and behavior the past few days. Not good. She wants to eat, and then lays down for a couple hours, then gets up and wants to eat again. If she doesn't get fed right away, she'll nip our ankles and cannot be handled without a warning chirp or strike. It's obvious she's not herself. Maybe her strong personality was a result of the impending tumor many years ago, and now it's almost completely controlling her bossy behavior. I think the tumor might be pulsing up, but being on 11U of Prozinc the BG#s are coming down a bit, but not below 250.
    We're afraid Cleo's headed in the wrong direction. Dr. want's to attach a Libre next week so she can get 2 weeks of good daily curves. Not feeling good about her right now.
     
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  5. Judy and Freckles

    Judy and Freckles Well-Known Member

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    Oct 20, 2019
    So your vet is wanting more test numbers. GOOD! We have been STRONGLY encouraging you to do more testing all this time. Looking at your spreadsheet, you simply do not have enough data to give you good info.
     
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  6. Wendy&Neko

    Wendy&Neko Senior Member Moderator

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    Feb 28, 2012
    A cat needs however much insulin they need. I hope you get more Prozinc before the Libre goes on. If you have plenty of data that the Libre gives you, you may be able to increase lot faster. You aren't seeing blacks anymore, which is good, as is the more frequent pinks, but poor Cleo has been in high numbers so long it's got to be hard on her little body. Increasing fast, but safely, to a dose where she is under renal threshold a good bit of time is the only way she'll feel better.
     
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  7. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    Jun 8, 2016
    Cc is a case of being in remission for a year, coming out of remission, then getting diagnosed acro.

    Her tumor must be pulsing down. She's down about 3 units this week!
     
  8. Cleocatra

    Cleocatra Member

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    Feb 2, 2020
    The vet said she wants tighter testing, which she said 3 months ago wasn't necessary. She now realizes this cat needs higher dosing, and she will support ramping up but wants me to provide more data. I'm ok w/ that using the Libre. Manually testing has been tough w/ this cat. I think I have collected enough data to support ramping up, but if the Dr wants more, I'll do it. This cat is not much of a pet anymore, but a patient. Her behavior can be aggressive and she's easily irritated if she doesn't have a full belly. I can't see how she can eat so much food, does nothing all day, and is ravenously hungry. Is the cabergoline not effective anymore, or needs higher dose? I'm beginning to see this is as a dead-end effort.
    No, we're not seeing blacks anymore because I've ramped up and I think I'm starting to get somewhere w/ the higher doses. I'll just keep ramping up until something breaks, I guess.
    Question: does high insulin dosing stimulate this crazy hunger? I thought the insulin was supposed to "unlock the keys to the cells" to allow energy to be absorbed and used so she'll feel better and have more energy. It seems she's more hungry since hitting 9U mark, and now we're at 11.
     
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  9. Wendy&Neko

    Wendy&Neko Senior Member Moderator

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    Feb 28, 2012
    Cats all the time in high numbers, like Cleo, are not getting the nutrients they need. It's not the size of the dose that matters, but rather her blood sugar numbers. What dose of cabergoline are you on? I seem to remember you started at the low end of the dose. And referring back to the original topic of this thread that Judy started, the tumour can go through growth periods where even more growth hormone is output. Do you remember what it was like to be a growing teenage boy? Always hungry.
     
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