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Is this possible ?

MrsHR
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My partner was told on Thursday by his 27 year old son that he has been told by his GP his has lymphoma. He (the son) has had a lump in his groin for around a year but last November thought he should get it looked at. At some point then he had a biopsy - at the GP surgery. He says he got a call Wednesday to go to the GP where a surgeon was coming from the nearby hospital to remove the lymph node as it had shown to be cancerous. The surgeon removed the node told the son he thought he'd got it all and that he'd need another blood test in 2 weeks to give his blood a chance to normalise he then drive himself home and told his dad the next day 

my partner is beside himself with worry but his ex wife and son dint seem that bothered and at boys partner seems oblivious 

My question is - is that normal practice? There doesn't appear to have been any scans, he hasn't been to the hospital so no consultant ....

the son does have mental health challenges depression, bipolar. 
 

im not asking for comments on the son just whether the process I have described is usual

 

thank you 

  • Hello Mrs HR and thanks for posting, 

    I am sorry to learn what has been going on with your partner's son and can understand you being concerned.

    I don't think it is common for a hospital surgeon to travel to a GPs' practice to undertake a surgical procedure, I hesitate to say it never happens in certain circumstances , but it isn't routine practice as far as I am aware.  

    In lymphoma, although a surgeon might be involved in removing a lymph node to help confirm the diagnosis, how best to manage the disease is usually decided on by a specialist multidisciplinary team (MDT). MDTs are made up of doctors and healthcare professionals from different disciplines and backgrounds with expertise in treating a disease. 

    I would expect a MDT review to follow any confirmed lymphoma diagnosis, these teams usually meet up once a week.  The MDT looks at the extent (stage) of the disease and what the tissue biopsy shows. It usually take a couple of weeks for tissue biopsy results to be reported on and scans to be done and reported on to assess the stage of the disease.

    We have been contacted before by people with concerns that someone's story doesn't sound quite right. Sometimes it is best to let things unfold and see if they fall into place later. It is common for people to be overwhelmed with a new medical diagnosis, especially cancer, and to not have their facts completely right.

    Please do give us a call if you would like to talk anything over. Our number is  Freephone 0808 800 4040 and we are here weekdays from 9-5.

    Best wishes,

    Julia

  • Offline in reply to CRUK Nurse Julia

    Thank you Julia 

     

    we now think he has been confused with lipoma??

    but yes I think we should just give it time. I'm sure it will be ok in the end 

     

    Thanks 

  • in reply to MrsHR

    Hello

    This all sounds very confusing . Lipoma is not a cancer, but a harmless fatty lump under the skin, so I would be surprised if this, at an earlier time, had been refered to as a cancer.  I think the best thing to do would be to see if your partner's son or his mother can speak to the GP to get some clarity about the diagnosis.  Usually lipomas once removed would not need any further treatment.  But if he has some sort of cancer, this would need to be reviewed by a specialist team at the hospital as Julia described.

    I hope you get some clearer information from him soon

    Take care 

    Martin 

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