Gastric somatostatinoma (neuroendocrine gastric carcinoma, NEGA) usually arises from the inner lining of the stomach. These tumors are very aggressive and spread quickly to other organs, most commonly starting with the liver. Young bearded dragons appear to be predisposed, the cause for this is unknown.
Clinical signs for this tumor are non-specific and include loss of appetite, weight loss, lethargy, black feces, and vomiting. Your veterinarian may also be able to palpate a firm structure associated with the stomach on examination.
Given the non-specific nature of the clinical signs with this condition, many conditions will look similar including renal disease, liver disease, Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism (“metabolic bone disease”), intestinal impaction, gastrointestinal ulcers, illness secondary to poor diet or husbandry, parasites, granulomas, Atadenovirus infection, other infection, reproductive disease in females, and other forms of cancer.
For bearded dragons presenting with non-specific signs of illness, your veterinarian will recommend a full workup to include fecal parasite testing, a complete blood count, and a serum biochemistry panel. They may also recommend ultrasound and radiographs. A blood glucose over 1000mg/dL can be highly suggestive of this condition but is not definitively diagnostic, as really chronic granulomatous infections can also result in very high blood sugar levels. Human glycometers are not accurate in bearded dragons.
Treatment for this condition is supportive with assist feeding, soaking the patient to encourage drinking, pain control, and gastrointestinal protectants. In owners who are interested in a more aggressive approach, referral to an oncologist can be discussed. As patients often have spread of this cancer by the time of diagnosis, surgical removal of the gastric mass is not curative.
This is a very aggressive cancer and it is common that when patients present with clinical signs there is already spread into other organs giving a poor prognosis.
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