Varieties of neoplasms. Malignant invade adjacent and distant parts.
Symptoms: sore throat; stertor; dyspnœea; dysphagia. In cattle,
lymphadenoma, tubercle, actinomycosis. Cause cough, ptyalism,
discharge, fœtor, dysphagia. Dogs and pigs vomit. Treatment: medical;
surgical.
Tumors of the pharynx are not common in the _horse_ yet they
occasionally appear as either primary or secondary neoplasms. They are
of various kinds, as, epithelioma (Labat, Mathis), carcinoma (Casper,
Dupuy, Mathis), sarcoma (Siedamgrotzky, Johne), lipoma (Fricker),
cystoma (Degive) and melicerous (Lesbre). The malignant forms tend to
invade the surrounding tissues and spread widely into the nose, palate,
tongue, pharyngeal glands, and, secondarily, into the small intestines.
The simple tumors like the lipomata and fibromata tend to detach
themselves and hang by a pedicle (see pharyngeal polypi). The same is
true of the melicerous cyst which originating in an obstructed mucous or
salivary duct projects as a mass as large as a hen’s or pigeon’s egg
into the fauces or pharynx.
_Symptoms._ There are symptoms of intense sore throat with stertor
continuous or intermittent, increasing to dyspnœa at intervals or on
exertion. In case of pediculated tumors these attacks correspond to the
displacement of the tumor into the glottis. Deglutition is difficult or
impossible, liquids or even solids returning through the nose, mixed
with mucus and at times tinged with blood. Nasal discharge and ptyalism
are present.
In =cattle= pharyngeal tumors may be of the same nature as mentioned for
the horse, but they are far more frequently lymphadenoma, and above all
tubercle or actinomycosis. Zimmer found that of seventy-three such
tumors fifty-four were actinomycosis.
The _symptoms_ are wheezing breathing, cough, nasal discharge, ptyalism,
bleeding from the nose, fœtid breath, difficult deglutition attended by
cough and rejection of the ingesta through the nose, and the presence of
a solid body in or on the pharynx which may be manipulated from without
or within and tends to increase in size.
In =dogs= there are the same general symptoms with vomiting. The vomited
material is usually remasticated and swallowed. The swelling in the
pharynx can be felt from without, or seen through the open mouth. The
tonsils are usually enlarged. Pressure on the pharynx or gullet produces
instant regurgitation.
_Treatment_ consists in the removal of the tumor when possible.
Malignant growths and multiple tumors are not favorable for treatment.
Actinomycosis can be treated throughout by iodides, or these may
supplement the surgical measures. In the short-faced animals an
ecraseur, or a wire-snare passed through a tube may be employed. (See
pharyngeal polypi).