To trust ultrasound or CT scan??? Missed cancer??!
Question: To trust ultrasound or CT scan!?!?!? Missed cancer!?!?
My last post on this!. I am 26 8 mo ago dr!. felt lump in my neck!. Had an ultrasound and the lump was ,arked as a 1 cm solid noudle on thyroid!. Well I had a thyroid scan and it was normal as well as normal bloodwork!.
So dr!. said it must not be on my thyroid and it was fine!. So I had a CT scan, and it came out normal!. All the dr!.'s I have been two feel the lump and I do also!. I also have place behind my ear that the dr said was a lymph node and on my superclavical!.
Why would these things not show up on CT scan!. How can something show up on ultrasound but not CT!? All these test were done witin 3 weeks of each other!. What should I do!. I am always tired and have been for months!. Did the lump go away after 8 mo!? All of my thyroid stuff is normal, and bloodwork is also!. What should I make of this!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
So dr!. said it must not be on my thyroid and it was fine!. So I had a CT scan, and it came out normal!. All the dr!.'s I have been two feel the lump and I do also!. I also have place behind my ear that the dr said was a lymph node and on my superclavical!.
Why would these things not show up on CT scan!. How can something show up on ultrasound but not CT!? All these test were done witin 3 weeks of each other!. What should I do!. I am always tired and have been for months!. Did the lump go away after 8 mo!? All of my thyroid stuff is normal, and bloodwork is also!. What should I make of this!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
I am not sure what you are seeking here by asking this a second time !. !. !. if you want to know if you can trust the ultrasound or CT scan !. !. the answer is NO!. NO!. NO!.
These are just tools to guide a doctor !. !. they are not definitive !. !. and yes they can miss cancer !. !. completely and totally not even pick it up on the scan!. I know!. My son died!. He had abdominal sarcoma and had numerous CT, PET, MRI, and ultasound !. !. sometimes he had to have them together to try and determine how much disease and where it was located!. Both the CT and PET failed to detect a 4cm pelvic tumor that had molded itself around the colon !. !. !.didn't spot it for over 9 months!. It took an endoscopic ultrasound to confirm it was present !. !.and than the radiologist and doctors went back over the past 9 month scans !. !. and saw it!!! Too late!. The CT and PET also totally missed the extent of disease !. !. we were told a few tiny nodules on his liver !. !.turned out his right diaphragm was 'caked' with hundreds of small nodules !. !. neither CT or PET helped in that instance either!. Please do not rely totally on these scans!. Go for a second opinion !. !. and if possible ask for a biopsy as that is the only way to really confirm whether you are dealing with something benign or something malignant!.
Go back to your doctor and tell them you want to know exactly what you are dealing with!. I just know so many, many cases of misdiagnosis !. !. patients told it was nothing to worry about !. !. and a few months or year later !. !. told that it was malignant!. You need a definitive answer !. !. and excision or biopsy of the 'lump' may be the only way (go cautiously with this too as it may be better to remove it all at once, especially if it is malignant)!.
As far as focusing just on the thyroid !. !. this lump may not be associated with the thyroid at all !. !.cancer can occur anywhere !. !. now that they have ruled out thyroid issues !. !.than concentrate on exactly what this lump could be!. There are different types of head and neck cancers to investigate as well !. !. don't stop until you have a definitive answer!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
These are just tools to guide a doctor !. !. they are not definitive !. !. and yes they can miss cancer !. !. completely and totally not even pick it up on the scan!. I know!. My son died!. He had abdominal sarcoma and had numerous CT, PET, MRI, and ultasound !. !. sometimes he had to have them together to try and determine how much disease and where it was located!. Both the CT and PET failed to detect a 4cm pelvic tumor that had molded itself around the colon !. !. !.didn't spot it for over 9 months!. It took an endoscopic ultrasound to confirm it was present !. !.and than the radiologist and doctors went back over the past 9 month scans !. !. and saw it!!! Too late!. The CT and PET also totally missed the extent of disease !. !. we were told a few tiny nodules on his liver !. !.turned out his right diaphragm was 'caked' with hundreds of small nodules !. !. neither CT or PET helped in that instance either!. Please do not rely totally on these scans!. Go for a second opinion !. !. and if possible ask for a biopsy as that is the only way to really confirm whether you are dealing with something benign or something malignant!.
Go back to your doctor and tell them you want to know exactly what you are dealing with!. I just know so many, many cases of misdiagnosis !. !. patients told it was nothing to worry about !. !. and a few months or year later !. !. told that it was malignant!. You need a definitive answer !. !. and excision or biopsy of the 'lump' may be the only way (go cautiously with this too as it may be better to remove it all at once, especially if it is malignant)!.
As far as focusing just on the thyroid !. !. this lump may not be associated with the thyroid at all !. !.cancer can occur anywhere !. !. now that they have ruled out thyroid issues !. !.than concentrate on exactly what this lump could be!. There are different types of head and neck cancers to investigate as well !. !. don't stop until you have a definitive answer!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
i have breast cancer and i asked what the difference was in the ct scans, ultrasounds and MRI's!. they told me that a MRI gives a 3-d effect and they could see what was going on better with a MRI!. so i suggest that you see another doctor and ask for a mri!. good luck!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
dont stop seeing doctors!.!. my friend was told she had nothing by 4 doctors!.!.!. she had stage 4 hodgkins at the time!.!.!.
also ct's dont always tell truth!.!.!. mum had tumour which didnt show up!.!.!.
maybe get a blood test and ask for cea (cancer marker) sometimes shows if cancer!.!. mums went up to 16 when had tumour!.!. normally should be like 2Www@Answer-Health@Com
also ct's dont always tell truth!.!.!. mum had tumour which didnt show up!.!.!.
maybe get a blood test and ask for cea (cancer marker) sometimes shows if cancer!.!. mums went up to 16 when had tumour!.!. normally should be like 2Www@Answer-Health@Com
Any other symptoms your having, I'm dealing with something that dr!. can't find as well all blood work normal and had CT scan and x-rays!.!.!.!.!.like to see the answers you get with this question!?!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
A cat scan can show something going on my dad had cancer in his left lobe of his lung and they found it by a cat scan!.!.!. SO I'd go back and make someone listen!.!. you yourself know ur own body!.!.!. GOOD LUCKWww@Answer-Health@Com
1st palpable lymph nodes aren't all bad!. If a node appears normal, the radiologist will not comment on it even though it is present on CT!.
CT is a poor test to detect thyroid nodule and can easily miss one!. The US is the best to find a nodule and see if it is solid or cystic!. The nuclear test will only show increased or decreased activity in the nodule and offers little in diagnosis!. If your blood work is normal, the thyroid nodule is not making you sick but it can still be abnormal and I recommend a repeat US with a fine needle aspirate (FNA) of the nodule!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
CT is a poor test to detect thyroid nodule and can easily miss one!. The US is the best to find a nodule and see if it is solid or cystic!. The nuclear test will only show increased or decreased activity in the nodule and offers little in diagnosis!. If your blood work is normal, the thyroid nodule is not making you sick but it can still be abnormal and I recommend a repeat US with a fine needle aspirate (FNA) of the nodule!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Thyroid cancer in a 26 year old is not very common!. Over an 8 month period of follow-up, this should have progressed if it were a malignancy!. From the web site listed below, "99% of thyroid nodules are not cancer!."
Small residual non-tender lymph nodes in the 1 cm range are commonly found in the upper cervical chain behind an ear or in the supraclavicular space!. CT scans often will not pick up small residual nodes in the 1 cm range in these areas!.
(I have to guess at the size since you did not tell us how large the lymph nodes are!. If they were 2 cm or more, your doctors would probably be ordering a biopsy!.)
If your thyroid studies - especially the TSH - are all normal, the tiredness should not be related to hypothyroidism!. There are MANY problems that can cause general fatigue other than hypothyroidism!. A thyroid malignancy this small would not be large enough to cause general fatigue!.
This is what makes internal medicine so challenging - trying to sort through all the possible problems and find the one that explains your situation - - and hopefully allows for a positive therapeutic intervention!. The key will be follow-up and a lot of careful thinking on your doctor's part!. Sometimes the best test is the "test of time!."Www@Answer-Health@Com
Small residual non-tender lymph nodes in the 1 cm range are commonly found in the upper cervical chain behind an ear or in the supraclavicular space!. CT scans often will not pick up small residual nodes in the 1 cm range in these areas!.
(I have to guess at the size since you did not tell us how large the lymph nodes are!. If they were 2 cm or more, your doctors would probably be ordering a biopsy!.)
If your thyroid studies - especially the TSH - are all normal, the tiredness should not be related to hypothyroidism!. There are MANY problems that can cause general fatigue other than hypothyroidism!. A thyroid malignancy this small would not be large enough to cause general fatigue!.
This is what makes internal medicine so challenging - trying to sort through all the possible problems and find the one that explains your situation - - and hopefully allows for a positive therapeutic intervention!. The key will be follow-up and a lot of careful thinking on your doctor's part!. Sometimes the best test is the "test of time!."Www@Answer-Health@Com
I would go to an ENT surgeon as well!. The can do a fine needle biospy to tell exactly what it is!. Hopefully it's nothing and at the very least ease your mind about it!. It's a very easy, pretty much painless procedure!. I've had two and they weren't painful at all!.
While it may not be "common" for a 26 year old to get Thyroid cancer, I can tell you from first hand experience that it does happen!. (I was 25!.) I have learned that you need to be proactive about your health!. Good Luck!Www@Answer-Health@Com
While it may not be "common" for a 26 year old to get Thyroid cancer, I can tell you from first hand experience that it does happen!. (I was 25!.) I have learned that you need to be proactive about your health!. Good Luck!Www@Answer-Health@Com
CT scans and ultrasound may see the body differently, and sometimes one test may reveal a problem missed by another!. The same is true with MRI!.
If you have normal bloodwork, thyroid scan, CT scan but with lumps/nodes that you can feel, then I would consider seeing an otolaryngologist/ENT surgeon!. You can have a persistent benign condition, but sometimes it's worth a biopsy to be sure!.
For now, don't worry too much but follow up with your doctor!. Discuss whether you should see an ENT with your doctor and go from there!.
:) MattWww@Answer-Health@Com
If you have normal bloodwork, thyroid scan, CT scan but with lumps/nodes that you can feel, then I would consider seeing an otolaryngologist/ENT surgeon!. You can have a persistent benign condition, but sometimes it's worth a biopsy to be sure!.
For now, don't worry too much but follow up with your doctor!. Discuss whether you should see an ENT with your doctor and go from there!.
:) MattWww@Answer-Health@Com
Go to a ear, nose and throat doctor asap!. I had a lump like your describing and the doctors told me it was nothing to worry about!. it was a parotid tumor in that same gland and had to have surgery june 11 08 to remove it!. the tumor was benign but have a good possibility of being cancer!. you need to have the salvatory gland checked also asap!. they found the parotid tumor with a mri with contrast good luck but go to ent doctor (ear,nose,throat) asap and ask for a mri directed for head and neck area!. a specialist (ontornoligy) head and neck surgeon will be able to tell you whats going on!. good luck!.My doctor is in lubbock tx (phillip scolaro) good luck!.tell them something is wrong and you want an mri and have them check both glands (PAROTID and SAVATORY)!. good luckWww@Answer-Health@Com