Surgical Intervention and Treatment of a Mammary Adenocarcinoma in the Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps): A Double Case Report.

Abstract

A 6-year-old, intact female sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) presented for evaluation after experiencing progressive weight loss and lethargy. Sedated examination revealed a firm, 7-mm wide marsupium mass, and surgery was pursued after cytology results suggested epithelial malignancy. The patient's entire marsupium was surgically excised, and biopsy of the associated tumor revealed a primary mammary adenocarcinoma without vascular infiltration. Preoperative and postoperative antibiotics and meloxicam were used to decrease inflammation and infection following the procedure. At the 6- and 12-month recheck examinations, the initial patient was well-muscled and energetic with no signs of neoplastic recurrence. Case 1 had confirmed disease-free survival at 12 months. A second 6-year-old, intact female sugar glider presented for surgical consultation following the fine-needle aspiration of a bilobular marsupium mass. Analogous surgical protocols were implemented with the second patient. Subsequent biopsy revealed neoplastic epithelial cells consistent with a mammary adenocarcinoma. No local recurrence or disease progression has been reported for the second patient following the operation. Case 2 had owner-reported well-being at 11 months without clinical re-examination. To the authors' knowledge, these cases represent the first reported survival beyond 11 months following surgical treatment of mammary adenocarcinoma in P. breviceps, though long-term recurrence risk remains unknown.