390 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of -the Dog 



(f) Degeneration Cysts. Solid tumors often break down and 

 soften, their contents becoming fluid. The commoner examples are 

 tubercular Bronchial Glands, and malignant Mammary growths. 



Treatment of Tumors 



Only the general principles of treatment as applied to Tumors 

 Proper and Cysts will receive consideration here, special methods 

 and the treatment of the several Hypertrophies, Hyperplasias, Gran- 

 ulomata, and Strictures having pathologic significance being des- 

 cribed elsewhere under their respective headings. 



While innocent growths with few exceptions seldom exert any 

 ill-effect on the organism, nevertheless, in superficial positions, they 

 are mostly unsightly blemishes, and for this reason alone their re- 

 moval is usually desired. Furthermore, as has already been pointed 

 out, some innocent growths are capable of assuming a malignant 

 activity, under certain conditions. Moreover, in many cases it is im- 

 possible to distinguish between the two types, so that it is safe to 

 adopt and observe the rule of early removal of all tumors growing in 

 accessible positions. In the case of growths of undoubted malig- 

 nancy the only hope lies in early and radical operative treatment with 

 coincident removal of adjacent lymphatic glands when the latter 

 are involved. The earlier the knife is used the greater is the pros- 

 pect for permanently eliminating the disease. Cancer is a local dis- 

 ease at the outset and in the early stages can be eradicated without 

 fear of recurrence. But in making ablation it is necessary to cut 

 wide of the diseased area without regard to subsequent deformity 

 and to avoid disseminating cells of the growth in fresh tissue. Oper- 

 ative measures are contraindicated and should never be attempted 

 when there is more or less generalization, feebleness, or cachexia 

 present. 



There is only one method of ablation worthy of consideration 

 and that is by excision with the knife. It is true that in certain con- 

 ditions, such as inaccessible papilloma of the auditory canal, or tu- 

 mors growing from solid structures it is sometimes necessary to 

 rely on the thermo-cautery to completely eradicate all traces of dis- 

 eased tissue, but the employment of such means must be regarded as 

 supplemental to the use of the knife rather than as substitutive. The 

 method of ligating and allowing the growth to slough off is only to 

 be mentioned to be rigorously discountenanced as typical of the crud- 



