do lipomas ever get to be very large and hard as a football?
i am concerned about my sis who has an appt for her thigh tumor with a doctor. I am scared and wondering if this could be a lipoma as opposed to liposarcoma.
she has also recently developed two small tumors (size of large pea) in the same leg.
she has had this for over a decade but it grew in size and recently she found the other small lumps
she does have a doc appt. I'm just very concerned and wondering if there are possibilities other than it being serious.
the "fourteen year old tumor" has grown to the size of probably her entire thigh.. or maybe it's just mixed with the thigh now.
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If she has had the lump for a decade it is almost certainly a lipoma, a benign fatty tumor, and not a liposarcoma. Lipomas can be large and will change in size when you do - in other words when you gain weight the lipoma often gets larger also. When you lose weight the lipoma might also. Not always, but often.
Lipomas are quite common in adults and some people have many of them. If what you have been worrying about has been there for ten years, then take a step back and relax because regardless of current size it is almost certainly not malignant. (
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Help?? Vomiting, Gastrointestinal stromal tumor, gleevec???
hello, is there anyone who could please help me, my husband just recently got diagnosed with a (Gist) doctors thought it was liposarcoma but with newer tests turned out to be a gist, my husband has had two surgerys to remove it, and the last one was hard to remove because it is in a dangerous area of the stomach, the tumor is 8x8x8 and it is blocking the intestine, everytime he wants to eat he keeps vomiting food stays for a while but keeps coming out acids from his stomach and when he drinks water he vomits right away, hes been vomiting for more than a week and is put on iv's and taking medicine for vomiting but nothing is helping, the doctor gave him gleevec and he holds it in for 2 hours or more in his stomach without vomiting but does gleevec work even if he vomits after the 2 hours, if anyone knows please provide me with information what to do, we are hoping the tumor will shrink in size but how long will it take to see progress, if he eats he will feel better
please i need information, and we are also out of the country, and his case is rare here and there are only 2 doctors that know of this disease but i dont have good information, were can i get information or if i can send his full report to an online organization or something that can help me figure out with his case, i dont know what to do and its been really hard for the both of us, what can i do thanks for ur help if there is anyone
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There are some excellent online support groups for GIST that can directly help you with your situation and offer better advice than anyone here can. Contact them:
GIST Support International
http://www.gistsupport.org/
LifeRaft Group
http://www.liferaftgroup.org/
GIST Wiki
http://gistsupport.medshelf.org/Main_Page
GIST Cancer Research Fund
http://www.gistinfo.org/
Best wishes to you. If he is having trouble with vomiting you should call his doctor immediately. There are meds he can take that will ease that problem. Call his doctor with any concerns . .day or night.
For more support you can contact Cancer Care . .they might be able to help you as a caregiver as well as offer suggestions for your husband:
CancerCare
http://www.cancercare.org/
Hang in there. (
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Is the lump in my back cancer?
A couple months ago, I began noticing a slight discomfort in my side when I was driving or laying down in certain positions. About a month later, a small lump appeared. The pain progressively worsened. I thought it was a strained muscle, since I tend to carry a lot of stress in my back and shoulders, so I went to the doctor.
He said, however, that this was not a typical bunching of muscles. Rather, it seemed to be a small mass. He did an xray and was able to tell me that my bones and lungs are unaffected. I later went in for an ultrasound, and the mass is solid, not fluid. This of course rules out cysts.
It is an acutely painful lump, located left of my lower spinal cord. It can be seen underneath the skin. It is not symetrical. It is about 4 inches tall and 3 inches at the widest point. It is not totally hard, but it is not soft/doughy, either. It seems to be pressing into nerves-- the mass itself does not actually hurt. It is not on or against my spinal cord. It developed rapidly and has gotten worse. I can feel the pain through a pill of Vicodin.
I am a 17 year old female with breast cancer in one side of the family. I am otherwise healthy and have no prior severe health conditions other than a short bout with mono and mild asthma as a child.
That is all I know at this point. I have a biopsy scheduled soon. I have encountered a few things that seem possible-- lipoma, lymphoma, and liposarcoma (yes, I know this is incredibly rare. But it's fitting)
Professional/prior experience help ONLY, please. Thank you.
Forgot-- I have numbness spread across the lump area. I can feel pressure, but not touch.
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No one can really answer that specific question, however from your description cancer cannot be ruled out. You will need a biopsy to confirm or not whether this is a malignancy or something benign. That is why you are having a biopsy.
In general what I can tell you is that there is a type of cancer that is commonly found in your age group called sarcoma. There are over 60 subtypes of sarcoma . . liposarcoma is only one subtype. Basically this is a malignancy of either the bone, muscles, joints, ligaments, blood vessels, fat, or soft tissue found anywhere in the body. Older people get cancers of the breast, lungs, liver, colon while younger people get cancers not associated with a location in the body. If your doctor says you have a sarcoma . . you are to request to see a pediatric oncologist that specializes in sarcoma . . or go to a sarcoma center. It is critically important for sarcoma to be treated by an oncologist familiar with the disease.
Cancer is rare in teens and sarcoma is also rare . . so hopefully this will turn out to be nothing but a scare.
What is a soft tissue sarcoma
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_sarcoma_38.asp
What is sarcoma
http://www.sarcomaalliance.org/whatis/whatis.html
Liddy Shriver Iniative
http://www.sarcomahelp.org/index.html (
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Very serious question. Please help if you can!?
My mom was diagnosed with liposarcoma which is cancer. It first developed on her back and the doctor said that he removed all of the cancer including a few lymph nodes. She went through 6 weeks of radiation treatments and then she saw the doctor today and he said it has spread into her lungs. He gave her 5 to 12 months to live and I was wanting to know if anyone has had a family member or friend that has lived with this type of cancer in the lungs longer than 12 months? Just so you guys know, the doctor said my mom was too old and wasn't healthy enough to take chemotherapy. Please let me know. I've been a mess all day! Thanks for any answers.
The doctor said she had so many cancer cells in her lungs that he couldn't even count all of them! He said all he could do is start her on the chemo treaments and see how she does. Thanks for all the comments. They are still some sweet people in this world.
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Liposarcoma can be a very aggressive soft tissue sarcoma for which there are few options available once it has metastasized. Unfortunately that time guesstimate is likely correct. However, hard to know what "too old" means. I would suggest your mom get a second opinion, if possible from a sarcoma specialist at a major academic medical center. I wish I could be more optimistic...
One other thing, "spread to the lungs"... does that mean multiple spots or 1-3? I ask because sarcomas are occasionally aggressively surgically resected even when metastasized- it depends on whether it can be removed, how many spots, health of the patient, and status of the primary site (where it all started).
God bless, best wishes (
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When should I worry about my MD providing the simple dx of "Lipoma", when no biopsy has been done?
I had one "lipoma" under my right breast for years. Recently, in the past 6 months I developed two more-one on my left forearm and one on my abdomen. In the last 6 weeks I have 4 addtional "lipomas" on my abdomen that are at least 1-3 inches in diameter. Sometimes they are painful. I am concerned, but my MD is not. I have read up on liposarcoma and am now going to ask for a biopsy. Anyone with a similar experience? Or advice?
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"I am concerned, but my MD is not."
That's because he's not the one who is at risk for cancer. Plus he probably sees tons of them and has started to get complacent. It happens in all fields of work, notice how ambulance workers are so calm even when you're saying you're having a heart attack. They've had tons of people say that, some died, most didnt, oh well, right?
If you're worried, just ask for the biopsy. It's not a matter of you not trusting your doctor, it's about you being more cautious than him. You can bet that if he saw a funny mole on his breast he'd sent it for a biopsy. (
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Pain in breast after surgery!?
I'm hoping that someone can answer a very important question for me tonight. My mother had liposarcoma cancer removed from her back about 8 months ago and the cancer spreaded into her lungs. The Doctor said she could expect to live 5 months to a year. She is having terrible pain in her left breast tonight. So bad that it's taking her breath when she tries to talk. She said it feels like her breast is falling off or something. The doctor said she has fluid in her back still where the cancer was removed and he also said that she has a touch of pneumonia. Could this be the cancer spreading into her back or could this be the fluid moving around. Maybe the pneumonia has something to do with it as well Please write if you have any suggestions. Thanks!
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I would say that it may be from the pneumonia because that can be painful as she trys to breath. It causes pressure due to excess fluid.Try and make her comfortable and get a cold pack or heating pad which ever she chooses and try that. Call your doctor back and let him know shes in pain. Pain can be treated.God bless and good luck. (
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Should I have an MRI for a lump in my thigh?
I have a small lump in my upper thigh that the doctor thinks is benign. It is slighly painful and I have had some lower abdominal and leg pain but nothing major. The doctor said if it got larger we could do an MRI to help determine if it was benign or cancerous. I am worried though. I just had a friend die from a liposarcoma and would rather be safe than sorry. Can I demand to have an MRI even though it hasn't changed sizes? Is it ok that i am so concerned about it. I am only 21 but this knot has me really worried.
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Sarcomas tend to strike the young rather than the old. You should bug your doctor and explain about your friend who died. (
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how can i convince my dr that i want a proper diagnosis?
i have been having knots for a while in my stomach, chest region, breasts, back, and a few other places. i have come to this possible diagnosis, and i think i could have Liposarcoma, Angiolipoma, or Adiposis dolorosa. i think it is a big possibility that i could have any of these things, i have been to the drs twice this year for a proper diagnosis, i did not mention these things to him because i didnt do my research yet, but i really feel like my dr thinks im full of $hit? why else would he keep telling me i just have IBS? any advice would be appreciated, ty :)
I am not a hypochondriac, i found those terms/diseases, from yahoo answers. I cant be thankful that IBS is all i have, because my symptoms are more beyond the symptoms of IBS.
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Get a second opinion and then stop questioning the doctors. They are MD's and you aren't. Be thankful that it's nothing serious. (
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Spots found in lungs! Help if you can please!?
My mom came back from her doctor's appointment last week and the doctor said she had cancer in her lungs. She recently had liposarcoma taken off of her back which was cancer and the doctor said it has now spreaded to her lungs. The doctor said there was too many cells to count and he said the cancer is progressing really quick and that it doesn't look good. I was just wondering if it could be something else in her lungs besides cancer that the doctor may have mistaken it for. I heard that calcium deposits can develop into the lungs as well. I was also wondering if any doctor has misdiagnosed anyone with lung cancer? I'm just trying to be positive for my family. I would appreciate any comments. Thanks!
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The only way to be sure or know for certain that the lung nodules found on x-ray are metastatic liposarcoma is with a biopsy. Usually that is not done, since it adds discomfort, risk, and expense - only to prove bad news. A better way is to repeat the chest x-ray in a month and compare. If it is metastatic sarcoma, the nodules will be larger. If the nodules do not show growth over time, maybe they are something else. This "test of time" is often very useful - though people often want to know right away. This will be up to your mom and her doctors. Are you planning to try chemotherapy?
Another question is whether there was a previous chest x-ray that showed no "spots" and when was that done?
These concerns are best discussed with the oncologist who knows all the details of this case. (
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Solution for Hyponatremia? tried 0.9%saline drip, tried fluid restriction, tried fluid restriction+oral salt?
Dad hospitalized due to liposarcoma on right front thigh muscles. planned for wide excision but op called off due to hyponatremia(120only, compared to normal 135-145).
age :69yrs
1) tried dripping 0.9% saline 24hrs, didnt work
2) tried fluid restriction, didnt work
3) back to 24hrs 0.9% saline + oral salt intake, didnt work
4) most recent, oral intake 2.5g salt*3time a day + doctor suggest trying albumin
experience medical doctors, pls give opinion. anaesthetic wont pass him for operation at that sodium level.
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At blood sodium of 120mEq/L anesthesia/surgery not recommended.
Hyponaremia commonly results from reduced intake or excessive loss of sodium. In this case it may be due to excessive abnormal loses which may be through the urine (loses by the kidneys) or through the gastrointestinal tract (e.g diarrhea and vomiting). If the loses are massive correction of the deficit may be difficult. Imbalance of hormones that regulates sodium in the body (regulation usually done by the kidney with the influence of hormones) has to be checked.
In correcting severe hyponatremia 0.9% saline may not be adequate. Instead 3% saline drip is preferred because it has higher sodium concentration.
The solution to this problem lies in identifying sites of excessive sodium loss from the body and correcting it, and administration of fluids that has higher concentration of sodium. (
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