Download Erin Sutter Mr. Buttram Animal Science March 1, 2017 Carcinoma

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Erin Sutter
Mr. Buttram
Animal Science
March 1, 2017
Carcinoma Lung Cancer
Most people think that we are the only living forms that can develop cancer, this thought
can highly be proven wrong. Different blood studies and necropsy prove that animals can have
very similar or the same type of cancer as we do. In this passage I will describe a certain type of
cancer, Carcinoma Cancer, which mainly affects the lungs, discuss how certain species of
cetaceans (animals in the aquatic mammal family) are very prominent in showing signs of this
disease.
Background
Carcinoma cancer mainly affects the lungs, but in severe cases this cancer can spread to
other parts of the body. This cancer starts in the cells that make up skin or thin tissue in our body,
such as livers, kidneys, lungs, and the heart. These cancer cells divide without control, as most
do. The most common symptoms of this cancer are weight loss, a thick lump developing in the
body, and bacteria growth in the airways, due to irritation in the throat.
In cetaceans, specifically porpoises, such as dolphin, orcas and belugas this cancer can be
very lethal for blockage in the blowhole or throat could lead to drowning. Such a case was found
in a Hector’s dolphin near the coast of New Zealand. This dolphin had bacterial carcinoma in its
nasal plug, located in the blowhole. Locals knew of the mouth breather, making scientists believe
that there could be possible blockage in the blowhole. Severe irritation in the blowhole region
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severely limited the Hector’s dolphin’s use of its blowhole. In the life or death situation, the
dolphin defied its million of years of evolution and starting breathing out of its mouth. The
“mouth breather”, as most people call it, proved to science that in given condition animals will
do almost anything to keep surviving.
In the case of the Hector’s dolphin it was found later that the dolphin had a cancerous cell
lump growing on the top of the lung and spreading up into the blowhole. It is common for many
aquatic marine mammals to have the cancer form on the top of the lung, were the bacterial
growth is located, and spread up the throat and eventually going up into the blowhole. At this
stage in the disease, a cure could prove fatal for the dolphin, for surgery alone could just kill the
animal. Since this dolphin is a wild dolphin, scientists concluded to leave the “mouth breather”
live out the rest of its life in the wild.
Pollution could be the Number one Cause
In our current world today, most of us know that our oceans, an essential key to our
history, is not in the best of conditions. A combination of toxic waste and the seven billions of
trash floating in our oceans have caused severe environmental concern. Scientist have starting to
conclude that instead of hereditary diseases or gene mutations, many aquatic marine animals are
actually getting cancer from toxic waste and trash in the environment.
Such a case was present went several belugas were floating dead or beached in St.
Lawrence, Quebec. A female beluga whale who had given birth was found floating on the river’s
surface near Tadoussac, Quebec. Upon observation, researchers at University of Montreal
thought the female died from exhaustion of the birth. A necropsy was taken on the beluga and
noticeable signs of blood poisoning and cancerous cells were present around the lung and heart
region.
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Further research revealed the cancerous cells were from carcinoma cancer. The high
blood pressure caused severe weight loss on the whale, leading to exhaustion while giving birth.
In St.Lawrence the waters are known to be extremely toxic, which cause fishing laws to form,
such as trout larger than twenty five inches can not be caught, and certain fish like eels are
prohibited to fish for because the water is so polluted. Three other whales were found dead
months after the female, only two contained signs of carcinoma. One of the whales found had a
lump so large on the top portion of the lung, scientists were shocked on how it lived so long with
the spread of cancerous cells. Providing an evidential statement that toxic waste and pollution are
for sure connected to aquatic marine mammal cancer.
Seaworld’s Loss
On January 6, 2017, Tilikum, a 36 year old killer whale, and the largest ever to be held in
captivity, died. The cause of death was unknown at first, but once a necropsy was done on the
whale, he was found to have bacterial lung pneumonia. The bacteria in his lung caused a
practical suffocation on the whale and severe exhaustion. Which was why he was held in such a
shallow tank. Strands of carcinoma cells were found in the bacteria, but still lay dormant,
meaning his other cause of death could've been the cancer cells preparing to form. Different pain
relievers and medications helped Tilikum possibly live as long as he did, providing some
examples to help researchers at SeaWorld and in the wild find a possible cure to curing some of
the animals with carcinoma or dormant stages of carcinoma.
His death was a great sadness on the SeaWorld family, the information they found from
Tilikum is providing a better future for orcas in the wild as well as other cetaceans. We can find
ways to prevent toxic waste and trash overflow in our oceans, providing a great future to our
wild cetaceans.
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Conclusion
These cases show that animals are just as vulnerable to cancer as we humans are. These
cases show evidential signs of what our trash and toxins can do to animals. Cases like these can
help us find better ways of protecting our oceans, and protecting our Earth.