How Diagnosed?

hfleuter
hfleuter Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
I am very concerned! I am a 40 year old female. I had a full hystorectomy 25 years ago. I developed a 2.5cm Inguinal Lymph Node in my left groin. I had my doctor look at it and he did a CBC with differential. All came back normal except I am anemic. I also had a CT Scan which shows the 2.5CM Node but he said nothing else about the scan except to wait two weeks. If no change or it grows we will have to do a biopsy. He gave me no meds or real indication of what he is thinking. Does anyone out there have the same type of story? How is cancer diagnosed? If my test results are normal, could it still be cancer?

Comments

  • donaldo
    donaldo Member Posts: 36
    #2
    The lymph nodes can swell up for several reasons. The main one being that your body my be fighting off sometype of infection or virus. That's the purpose of the lymph nodes. The wait is to see if the lymph node shrinks back down. If it does it wasn't cancer. If not he may want to try antibiotics or something before doing something invasive like a biopsy. But the biopsy is the only real way to see what's happening to the lymph node and if it's cancer.
    Hopefully the lymph node will shrink on it's own and save you the trouble and worry, if not, best of luck on the biopsy, and let us know how it works out.
  • Plymouthean
    Plymouthean Member Posts: 262
    #3
    Over the past few years, I had been having routine scans, during recovery/survival of lung cancer. In just about all of those scans, a small area in my lower abdomen showed a "suspicious" lymph node which was slightly enlarged, but not growing. This went on for about four years. (Again, the "wait and watch" approach.
    Last October (2006), I began to have pain in the same area (about 2 - 3 on the funny face scale).
    At about the same time, I had what should should have been my last scan before I was cut loose after five years of survival on NSCLC.
    The scan showed enlargement of the node that we had been watching. That prompted a needle biopsy and a bone marrow biopsy (each one a breeze), each of which confirmed the oncologist's suspicion.
    I have a "low-grade" lymphoma, confined to one node. I have had two chemo treatments, three weeks apart. The planned protocol is for up to eight treatments. I have had no noticeable side effects, and the doctor say's that I'm responding "fantastically". (That sound in the background is me, knocking on wood).
    Long story short. Don't panic. "Wait and watch" is very standard with suspected lymphoma, and, in my limited experience, if lymphoma is confirmed, the treatment isn't bad.

    Please keep us posted.

    My best wishes and prayers to you.
    Hang in!
  • alihamilton
    alihamilton Member Posts: 347 Member
    #4
    Hi, biopsy is the only way to find out if you have lymphoma. I had a 1.5 cm node in my groin which one doctor said was "nothing sinister" However, I was also getting a slight pain on the left side of my pelvis (node was on the right) and continued going to the doctor. A ct scan showed multiple enlarged lymph nodes in the mesentery and biopsy showed it was an indolent lymphoma. I have received treatment and the nodes almost disappeared.

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