Worried about a lump...suggestions?

taylor514
taylor514 Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Sarcoma #1
I recently went to a general surgeon to have a lump looked at on my lower back. The lump is hard and feels about the size of an earaser head on the end of a pencil. I was refered to him by my gp, who thought the lump was a lipoma. The surgeon didn't agree with that and ordered an MRI. He said the results were clear and there were no masses anywhere, but he couldn't even see the lump in question. It is definitely there and is, for the most part, painless and non-moveable and seems to be very close to, or attached to the muscle. He wants to wait a year or so to see if it changes or grows. I'm not comfortable with that now that I have researched sarcoma. I asked him if he could do a biopsy and he said he was uncomfortable doing that without having seen in on the MRI, but he wants me to come back in a month so he can look at it again. SHOULD I INSIST ON A BIOPSY?? or ask to be refered to an oncologist since he can't confirm sarcoma, nor rule it out?? I certainly don't want to wait to see if it gets bigger!!! Suggestions please!

T.M.

Comments

  • AuthorUnknown
    AuthorUnknown Member Posts: 1,537 Member
    #2
    Hello,

    I encourage you to contact the American Cancer Society's National Cancer Information Center. National Cancer Information Specialists are available 24 hours a day and can assist you with your questions. They can be reached at 1-800-227-2345.

    Take care and be well,

    Dana
    CSN Dana
  • DonC
    DonC Member Posts: 3
    #3
    Hey Taylor,

    Get a biopsy!! Better to save than sorry. I had a lump that grew very fast and a biopsy showed that it was sarcoma. Get another doctor if your GP will not do a biopsy.

    I pray for a successful treatment and removal of the lumb.

    Bye for now,
    DonC
  • worriedmom69
    worriedmom69 Member Posts: 1 Member
    #4
    Hi Taylor - I know you may no longer be monitoring this site, but I thought I'd try. I am curious what you ended up doing about your lump on your back, and how it turned out? I have a similar situation with my daughter. She has a lump just below her collarbone. It is nonmoveable, but is more firm than hard, and doesn't have clearly defined borders - almost more of a swelling/raised area. She had a CT scan and an X-ray where they said the same thing as they did for you - "we can't see it at all." Yet there is definitely something there - it's about 1 1/2 inches long, and on a slim 12 year old girl, that's pretty noticeable! As a result of the bloodwork related to this, she was diagnosed with a mild case of mono (basically asymptomatic except when exercising), and so the pediatrician and the surgeon we were referred to immediately said "oh well it's an enlarged lymph node from mono." Yet the radiologist said there was nothing visible on the CT - no masses, lymph nodes, nothing! We are waiting out the mono for a month and are to go back to the surgeon if it's still there (and it hasn't changed a bit so far), but he acted like it was nothing, and I don't know that he's going to want to biopsy it. So, that's why I was curious if your lump, that wasn't visible on an MRI, turned out to be anything. I know I may be taking this to the extreme, but it's my child. Any advice you or anyone else can offer would be appreciated.

    worriedmom69
  • alison21
    alison21 Member Posts: 6
    #5
    worriedmom69 said:

    Hi Taylor - I know you may no longer be monitoring this site, but I thought I'd try. I am curious what you ended up doing about your lump on your back, and how it turned out? I have a similar situation with my daughter. She has a lump just below her collarbone. It is nonmoveable, but is more firm than hard, and doesn't have clearly defined borders - almost more of a swelling/raised area. She had a CT scan and an X-ray where they said the same thing as they did for you - "we can't see it at all." Yet there is definitely something there - it's about 1 1/2 inches long, and on a slim 12 year old girl, that's pretty noticeable! As a result of the bloodwork related to this, she was diagnosed with a mild case of mono (basically asymptomatic except when exercising), and so the pediatrician and the surgeon we were referred to immediately said "oh well it's an enlarged lymph node from mono." Yet the radiologist said there was nothing visible on the CT - no masses, lymph nodes, nothing! We are waiting out the mono for a month and are to go back to the surgeon if it's still there (and it hasn't changed a bit so far), but he acted like it was nothing, and I don't know that he's going to want to biopsy it. So, that's why I was curious if your lump, that wasn't visible on an MRI, turned out to be anything. I know I may be taking this to the extreme, but it's my child. Any advice you or anyone else can offer would be appreciated.

    worriedmom69

    Hi Worried mum just read your message, not certain whether you have had something done about the lump yet. I am so far a 2 year survivor of a sarcoma behind my left knee, my advice is to see to it now just in case it could be something serious as its better to treat it in the early stages.Better still if it is nothing then you can relax. If you are not happy with your doctors diagnosis then seek out another one. Do not just be content with someone saying it is nothing.

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