DLBCL in elbow

sadlamp

Does anyone have any experience with this? 

Originally Stage 1A and was feeling positive. Just  finished 3 x RCHOP and radiation but noticed a lump on my elbow. 
I'm sure that it was bursitis, which has since gone down considerably but I can still feel a hard lump close to my elbow bone. My original lump was in my groin, removed in September. Very localized and clear PET scan in November and clear MRI in December. Will have another MRI soon but this is terrifying me.

With being localized stage 1A I really thought I had a good chance at survival

 

Does anyone have any experience of elbow lymphoma? It is just on the bone, maybe a few cms up.

 

Thank you 

 

po18guy

Sorry to hear this

"Good chance at survival"? Whoa! I think the cart is way out in front of the horse here. One rule to remain sane is: "You do not have cancer until a pathology report says you have cancer." You have no pathology report - but, this is perhaps a more profound problem: it seems like you have not come to grips with your initial diagnosis and the progress you made against the disease. It is good to be vigilant, but that can lapse into hyper-vigilance, in which every little ache and pain raises the specter of a relapse. In such a case, you will never be truly at peace. Have you called doctor's office? It seems to me that sometihng as simple as an examination and perhaps an ultrasound may help identify what is on your elbow. 

Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3

elbow

Sadlamp,

Palpable nodes (nodes that can be felt by touch) are rare in the extremities (arms and legs).  In part, because these areas do not have many nodes to begin with.  A recurrance of lymphoma can occur anywhere inthe body (except in the brain), but your spot being relapsed lymphoma is clinicallly profoundly unlikely.   Plus, most lymphomas spread in a manner known as 'contiguous,' or node-to-node.  So, jumping from one groin tumor to the elbow is a long shot.  Some lymphomas are ordinarily non-contiguous however.  If the spot persists, see a doc, but not on the presumption that it is lymphoma.

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ShadyGuy

Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 said:

elbow

Sadlamp,

Palpable nodes (nodes that can be felt by touch) are rare in the extremities (arms and legs).  In part, because these areas do not have many nodes to begin with.  A recurrance of lymphoma can occur anywhere inthe body (except in the brain), but your spot being relapsed lymphoma is clinicallly profoundly unlikely.   Plus, most lymphomas spread in a manner known as 'contiguous,' or node-to-node.  So, jumping from one groin tumor to the elbow is a long shot.  Some lymphomas are ordinarily non-contiguous however.  If the spot persists, see a doc, but not on the presumption that it is lymphoma.

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Max is right but .....

I have both nodal and extra nodal lymphoma. Technically lymphoma can and does occur outside the lymph system in any place there is blood. "nodes" refers to lymph nodes. As Max very correctly states the movement of lymphoma outside the lymph system is less common. But it frequently occurs, for example in the bone marrow (mine was 26% cancer cells), central nervous system and in organs like the liver where no nodes exist. It gets in these places by moving through the blood stream, not the lymph system. I know personally of one case where a lump in a friends ankle was lymphoma. Like it or not you have a "lottery ticket" which has a very small chance of being worth anything - but check the numbers anyway. And who says it has to be lymphoma to be cancerous? Get it checked out. It is what it is regardless of what a Doctor says. I know from personal experience doctors and even labs can be very wrong. Thats why I see multiple doctors. Another example is radiology. I have had CT  results re-examined by multiple Doctors with very different results. I do not have Po's blind faith in the profession. Doctors are just people like the rest of us.

two survivors

PTSD is real

Sadlamp, my oncologist is right on when he calls that kind of anxiousness PTSD. I've been cancer free for more than 7 years (DLBCL, dose adjusted EPOCH+R). Sometimes completely unrelated ailments threaten to bring my head down and my anxiety up as I speculate on a recurrance. A few months ago I began feeling extremely run down, and soon convinced myself I was in a bad place blood cancer-wise. Tests showed red counts were still in my "new normal" range and my body had reacted well to B-12 supplements. My lethargy had nothig to do with cancer but, rather, an abundance of recently gained weight, an absence of working out, and high levels of work-related stress. But even seven years out, I was convinced there was another explanation altogether. So do the smart thing and get tested whenever new symptoms persist and your mind starts taking up residence in NHL-land. And remember, you're only four months out from a clear PET. If you can celebrate that daily, you'll find it easier to beat back the PTSD when it shows up. Congratulations on your good outcome and good luck.