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me asked:
How precisely can blood tests identify cancer? how can they figure out a benign cancer?
for a very long time now, since I can remember I’ve had this bump on my leg… it seems like a large fat cell lol under my skin.. there is no pain and it has never been a problem! but recently it has gotten me a little concerned… can this be a fat deposit? I can feel it under my skin when I extend my leg, it slightly bulges out… hmmm
How can I tell?
Question posted courtesy of: 3WayLinks
January 24th, 2007 at 8:41 am
this is a tuff question
January 24th, 2007 at 8:47 am
because your bisexual
January 26th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Gosh, don’t go phsyco on us. It may give you… CANCER!!
January 28th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
No its not cancer and its exactly what you said it is a fat deposit. Nothing to worry about.
January 28th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Could be a sebaceous cyst which are benign but you should still visit your doctor and let them look at it.
February 1st, 2007 at 7:31 am
my best advice is to call ur doctor he would kno the best and instead of relying on usual symptoms (which can be different for different ppl) u should ask ur doctor to verify and cause u less worry so go pick up the fone and call
February 3rd, 2007 at 3:28 am
You can go to the doctors and have it checked out. But pertuding fatty deposit is very common. I have one on my hair line. it is nothing. My friend had hers on the back of her leg just below her knee. If you are that concerned them make an appointment with a doctor.
February 5th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
um, I would have it checked out by a doctor it could just be a fat deposit but u never know
February 8th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Blood tests are not enough to identify cancer, but they can help.
A cell test of the possible part with cancer is needed to prove it is cancer or any other illness.
But it sounds like a fat deposit nothing more.
In US medical treatment are very expensive.
In Cuba is cheaper and not so bad, but i wonder if you ever want to go there in the first place. Your problem do not qualify either for a trip, either.
February 8th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
if you can move it around a little then i would say that it is a fatty cyst, i had on removed and biopsied, cost $4000 just to find out it was nothing. got another one on my shoulder now and im keeping that baby, save the money for something more important
February 12th, 2007 at 6:01 am
You can’t tell.
Go to a doctor. NOW.
You can’t seriously be gambling life & limb (literally) on speculation by Yahoo answerers ??
It’s most likely nothing. But not worth the risk to ignore it.
They may do an X-Ray, ultrasound, biopsy - any number of things, (I don’t know which would be applicable to your situation) to determine whether or not it needs treatment.
February 14th, 2007 at 4:59 am
the only way to tell is to see your doctor, explain the problem and they will do what thye think is best for your condition. this would probably be a blood test, which are almost always accurate in finding cancer, to follow that up they would probably do an mri. a benign cancer can be seen through an operation as well.
on the other hand the bump could be anything, it is a common misconception that people think every bump on their skin is cancerous. good job for being careful though and good luck.
February 16th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
First if your concerned you should make an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor may perform a biopsy. It takes a 3- or so for results to get back. The results will tell if it’s benign. My mom had 3 or 4 biopsies done. My uncle has fat deposits and they look like they are close to the surface. He’s had several removed. Day surgery, pretty simple. He’s had one that came back. I had a biopsy done on a mole that I was worried about.
February 20th, 2007 at 1:11 am
It’s probably a fatty tumor and nothing to worry about. Usually they are hereditary. Some people are just prone to getting them. I have a several of them. If any start to grow or they cause discomfort you might want to have them removed. Usually they don’t take them out unless they are causing a problem.
Ask your physician to confirm it next time you are in the office.
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:24 am
never assume the worst-case scenario. if you go to the doctor, he/she will most likely take a small sample of the bump and request a biopsy so it can be determined what comprises the bump. it may just be fat but, until the doctor determines what it is, do not worry. every bump is not cancer. best wishes!
February 23rd, 2007 at 4:39 pm
I have that on my neck!!!
Now you are scaring me…
February 26th, 2007 at 10:07 am
You actually raise more questions than can be answered here. Only a doctor can examine this lump and tell what it is. To begin with what size is the bump? How long has it been there? Has it grown recently? How hard is the bump? Is it solid? Can you squeeze it? Does it look like there is a pore in the center? Is the lump just under the surface of the skin or does it seem to be quite deep? These are all the types of things your doctor will be looking at. And, if those questions can’t be answered satisfactorily than further tests may be done, or you may even be sent to a specialist.
Unlike some here, I am more alarmed by this bump. It is true that it could be a lipoma (a fatty lump) or a sebaceous cyst as that is more common. However, there is also a real possibility that this is a soft tissue cancer called sarcoma (if it is fatty it could be a liposarcoma or if its bone, osteosarcoma or Ewings). The only way to tell for certain is to go to a doctor for a clinical examination.
There are far too many people who just do not believe that a lump or bump is serious enough to have checked out. Besides leukemia and lymphoma, one of the more common types of cancer in teens and young adults happens to be sarcoma . . it will generally start out as a lump or bump on an arm or leg or shoulder. There is rarely pain with sarcoma. The patient is asymptomatic which makes them feel a little foolish to even ask a doctor about a lump that does not hurt. But cancer in young people rarely hurts until the cancer is very advanced. Young people need to be warned that they should have any unusual lumps or bumps checked out as soon as possible . . just to make sure it is not malignant.
Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Bone Cancer - Sarcoma