Dwarf hamsters tumors/ growths?

Hi i have kept and bred lots of hamsters in the past, but i'm currently having a break and i decided not to take on any more young ones for the tme being, so my current hamsters are all now retired breeders, and are approaching old age.

two of my male Roborovski hamsters both have gradulally developed a growth on their belly, they are not from any of my litters, these were two that came from a pet shop, and i believe it is gentic, and they are probably a result of poor breeding and i'm guessing their parents were inbred.

The growths are quite large, but the hamsters are very active and appear happy and healthy, and don't appear to be in any pain. But the growths themsevles are becoming a physical problem, when they walk. Do you have an idea of what the growths could be? could it be cancerous?

Both hamsters live seperately, one with an infertile female and she is healthy without any problems.
I am not happy about taking them straight to the vets because both are elderly, one is deaf and becomes very distressed and frightened when he's touched
Can the growths be removed, would this be at risk for my hamsters? And is there a chance of regrowth?

thank you for your time.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Hello,  If it is not too stressful for your hamsters I would take them to the veterinarian and have fine needle aspirates performed on their abdominal masses.  A fine needle aspirate is relatively non-painful and should give you the diagnosis necessary to make the correct surgical decision, since some tumors, if completely excised do not recur,  whereas others recur at a surprising rate.  If you were to find that the tumor is a slow grower or even benign than surgery may be a consideration.  You should find a veterinarian experienced with exotics, however.  You did not mention the age of your hamsters but they may be approaching the end of their lifespans.  Additionally, tumors are quite common in elderly hamsters and may be due to heredity and aging.