The process of a cancer diagnosis

[Mulhollandmagoo]

Posting here for traffic, sorry!! Hoping for some advice, my husband has a large and painful lump in his testicle, he has been having lower stomach pains and is excessively tired, suffering from bad headaches and generally feeling under the weather.

He went to the GP around 6 weeks ago (he was told it should be two weeks but there was a long waiting list for urgent scans so would likely be longer) and was referred for scans and blood tests, he has been given an appointment for ultrasound scans for next week, he called the doctor about booking some blood tests, and the receptionist said she couldn't book him in for those yet.

My question is, does anyone know the process of a cancer diagnosis, will he have bloods done after the scan, should he have already had them? What is the process so we can try and prep ourselves, we are obviously thinking the worst but worried he is going to slip through the net by not having the proper tests and things, but we don't know the process and the GP surgery won't really give him any information, just keep telling him to wait.

Bump

I would persist and ask to speak to a doctor rather than the receptionist. Six weeks is an unacceptable length of time for a patient on the two week wait pathway. You must be worried sick.

Don’t be afraid to make a fuss, this is very poor.

Obviously I don't know the details but presuming you are in the UK if there are red flag symptoms you will be seen urgently, and all the appropriate tests will be ordered and done. The NHS deals with this kind of situation every single day, thousands of times over, and they know what they're doing - it isn't left to you to know what you're supposed to do next.

I know this is a very scary time, but if you can, try to focus on the practicalities and leave the worrying until you know what you're worrying about. The GP practice absolutely will be in contact if they have anything to tell you - they will not want to miss a potential diagnosis and are almost as keen as you to not let people slip through the net.

I would recommend looking at sites like Cancer Research UK or MacMillan, as they have some great resources to read when you're in this frustrating and upsetting stage. You can also call their free support line on 0808 808 00 00. They speak to people in your situation frequently and will understand how you're feeling.

Best of luck, lovey x

Just to add, if you've been told you're on the 2WW pathway but it's been 6 weeks, there is absolutely a problem and in that case I would contact the hospital department you've been referred to.

It's possible that you're NOT on the 2WW pathway and were just told it would be about 2 weeks - that's different. This is something you can clarify with your GP practice - they won't have news about results, but they can tell you whether the referral was specifically marked urgent or not.

Blood tests are not really useful in diagnosing cancer. There are some cancer markers that can be tested but they are used more for assessing progress than for diagnosis. Blood tests will need to be done at some point but they can be done very quickly and easily so don’t worry about that.

The only really important thing right now is the scan. Depending on what that shows, the next step would probably be a biopsy and/or a more detailed scan such as an MRI to make the final diagnosis.

Depending where you are in the country, and what specialty unfortunately a lot of 2WW are currently longer than 2 weeks, sometimes a lot lot longer.

The first thing is to ensure it actually was a 2WW referral and not 'urgent' as currently urgent can mean months.

Thank you, yes he was told he was in the 2 week pathway, but there was a slight delay, he did get his appointment by contacting the radiology dept at the hospital and they got him booked in,

Thank you for your 1st post too, very reassuring, I'm catastrophise at the best of times so I'm a bit beside myself.

This was oh journey after he found a lump in neck lymph node.
Gp appointment, put onto 2 weeks cancer wait. Seen within 1 week and had an ultra sound and biopsi. Results 1 week later, confirmed cancer. Ct scan, fill body mri and bloods within the week and full prognosis results 1 week later. I couldn't fault the njs tbh.
Surgery scheduled for around 6-8 weeks later, good luck I hope your news is better than what ours was 🙂 but remember it is treatable.

If he’s in the proper pathway he should have had cancer ruled in or out sooner - so sorry you’re still waiting. Can you check in with the hospital and your GP to make sure the right referral was made?
know it’s so difficult right now but outcomes for testicular cancer, if it is that, are very good.

You could ring the Macmillan nurses, if you want someone knowledgeable to talk to.

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/get-help

They also have forums on many types of cancer so you can find people in a similar position or those who have been there before and how their treatment went. Was very helpful for me, my DH has prostate cancer.

he should be seen much more quickly than now. 6 weeks is a long time and why on earth can’t they do the blood tests as they are important too. Is there any lymph node swelling in his groins? The other thing it could be is infection which would also cause him to be tired and feel unwell however that also should be seen sooner. Could you ask GP for referral to another hospital or as last resort go to AE or call non emergency number? Sorry for this taking so long x

@Mulhollandmagoo can you afford a private scan OP. costs around 2k,

The GP should have really booked his bloods six weeks ago. The receptionist won’t have the authority to book them so I would chase up with the GP again.

When I have had two week referrals in the past they have sometimes been a ‘one stop clinic’ sort of situation where they examine you, scan and then possibly take any biopsies needed and go from there.

Best wishes for next week!!

They would be helpful to see what’s causing him to feel under the weather though.

His groin is very tender, and one of his testicles is visibly bigger than the other, he also has pain and tenderness under his armpit.

Our GP is great to be honest, and gave him a really good check over and advised he would be place on the 2 week pathway but very apologetically advised it would be more than two weeks as there is a large wait list, when he chased they gave him the number for radiology and he called and they got him booked in for early next week so 🤞🏼

I guess I just wanted some reassurance (which I have got, thanks vipers ♥️) that because we'd booked the appt directly through the radiology dept that anything else he needed, like blood tests wouldn't be missed. I suffer with anxiety and tend to catastrophise a lot, so this might not seem rational but it was playing on my mind.

Can I ask how you are getting on? My husband has been added to the 2 week pathway

He had scans and blood tests all came back clear of cancer and he has been diagnosed with something called varicocele, it will be surgery to correct, but it is not a severe/life threatening condition which we are so so relieved about. He will just have to manage his pain and discomfort until then. It can impact fertility though if you're trying to conceive. I really hope everything works out for your husband @RareNewt it's such a stressful time 💐

Thank you. It's not a lump, it's his full testicle that's hard. Doctor doesn't seem to think there is anything to worry about but then why send him on a 2 week wait. I'm more stressed than my husband. Ive been goggling which I know isn't helpful. I'm just hoping the appt is sooner rather than later

Why send on a 2 week wait?

Because 2 week waits dominate the NHS so the waiting times for anything that isn't a 2WW are really long.
So for GPs if you can make something into a 2WW, even if you think there is no/little risk of cancer, it means the patient is going to get seen and diagnosed.

I meant in the meaning of, if there is nothing to be overly concerned why send him on a 2 week wait??? So obviously there is something to be concerned about!!
It was a figure of speech.

I dont think for 1 moment the GP has referred for a 2 week pathway just to jump a que!!!

Honestly @RareNewt it happens a lot. Because the difference between a 2WW, an urgent and a routine appointment can be years for some specialties.