Vet school treats champion horse

One of the most valuable breeding stallions in the world was brought to the University's School of Veterinary Medicine two summers ago with an unusual problem. He had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. While tumored testicles are usually removed, this was a special case -- Cam Fella had only one functioning testicle, according to Robert Kenney, professor of reproduction emergency at the University's New Bolton Center, which is part of the Veterinary School. "[The horse's] future depends on his ability to breed," Kenney said. Doctors diagnosed the tumor very precisely using ultrasound, a technique that creates images by sending sound waves through tissues, Kenney explained. Instead of surgery, veterinarians at the Center opted to use an instrument that previously had only been used on humans -- the Accuprobe. "It was a unique situation and an opportunity to use a new technology that we used for humans," Urology Professor Keith Van Arsdalen said. "It was a good coordination between the Hospital [of the University of Pennsylvania] and the Veterinary School." The probe inserts liquid nitrogen into tissue -- called cryotherapy, thereby freezing and eliminating the tumor with a high degree of specificity and accuracy, Kenney explained. In humans, the method is commonly used to treat prostrate cancer and surface lesions. "By virtue of this [cryotherapy] we were able to keep him breeding for two seasons that he wouldn't have been able to otherwise," he added. After the surgery, Cam Fella was placed in the Center's recovery pool, which uses water pressure to keep animals from hurting themselves when they awake from anesthesia, Kenney said. Doctors put Cam Fella in a raft with four sleeves for his legs and lowered him into the pool. Van Arsdalen emphasized the difficulty of removing the entire tumor. One treatment is never enough because of the different types of cancer cells, he explained. The most malignant cells remain behind and put pressure on normal testicular tissue, making healthy cells weaker and smaller, Kenney said. This results in fewer sperm. During this past year, Cam Fella has headed to the breeding shed more than 100 times and has impregnated at least 66 mares. There have been four treatments since July 1994, the most recent this past summer. The next session is scheduled for October and, despite the resilient nature of the cancer, veterinarians hope to destroy the tumor by the end of the year.

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