Mass

[crabclaws]

My wife has a mass, they say is around some blood vessels.  Don't know if it is cancer yet or not.  They told us, if it wasn't cancer, there was nothing they could do. Is this true, or do we need a second opinon?  She has to have a  second bio, the 26th.  This has been going on now, for 6 months. She has lost 35 lbs, in the last 3 months.  Help,,,,, Their going to let her die,,,

[MikeBruff]

Shelley, my mom is in same boat?  How is your mom doing?  What was treatment in absence of cancer cells?

[Fred9]

They told your mom it was cancer before they even did a biopsy? Based on what?

[shelley35]

my mother  who is 64 has been diagnosed with a pancreatic mass on the head of her pancreas. they first said that it was cancer and told her she had 6 to 12 months to live, but after 2 fine needle biopsy,s and 3 ultrasound scans they cannot find any signs of cancer cells.  but they still think it could be cancer and the cells are that small they could be missing them. my worry,s are that it is cancer and the longer they leave her it will be to late to treat... why cant they just start the treatment to shrink it. this is really worrying because they just seem to be leaving her. she has all the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. they are calling it a mass because they do not no what it is. she has just come out of hospital after her bile ducts got blocked and they butstent in.. please help

[CalGal]

You didn't mention where the mass was located, so I don't think any of us can address the issue directly. And hopefully the condition will not turn out to be cancerous.

But, in general, if the mass she is dealing with is in a very 'iffy' location, it may be felt that taking the mass out might be more problematic than leaving it in. In so locations in the body it can be very difficult to removed masses due to the way the blood supply is 'piped.' It may be more dangerous to take something out than to just leave it in place and treat the other symptoms. And there are a number of ways these days to supplement her nutrient requirement if necessary.

Please don't assume the worst. Wait until you get all the information back and then if you can't get the answers to the questions you're asking, be sure to ask for a second opinion, or a third one if necessary.