Suspected cancer behind child’s knee

[ZanyOrca]

I am putting this post out here to see if anyone has experienced the same thing as we are going through right now. My daughter has had a large, solid mass behind her knee for what we know atleast 6 weeks. This mass is unmovable and is growing . After several visits with the doctor and not really being listened too a doctor eventually had a proper feel and suspects possible cancer. We have been put on an urgent referral and a x-ray is being done this week and we have another appointment the following week. The anxiety/ waiting is quite frankly unbearable and we are all struggling massively. My poor daughter has only just turned 4. Has anyone experienced this and what was the outcome. The doctor has said this is definitely not a cyst and is connected a lot deeper so this rules out bakers cyst, Thankyou

The gp actually said he suspects cancer in your 4 year old after having a feel?

was it the first time she’s been examined?

@Stillso yes he said this could be cancer and put us on a 2 week referral he said he was keen to get a x-ray done within the week. Of course we are hoping it is something completely benign. It has been felt previously by another doctor however he did not have a proper feel more just swiped over it

I am appalled that a GP would say this about a child following nothing more than a feel.

Take care

@Stillso I did think the same it has gave us all so much anxiety. Thankyou

Hi I am so sorry you are having this worry but glad your GP is acting quickly and wish ours had and been this honest.

But for a four year old the pathway should be faster under NICE guidelines - 48 hours for x-ray and 48 hours for expert review not the 2 week wait.

This month is Sarcoma Awareness month. I really hope you get good news and it is nothing more sinister. X

I know it is upsetting and the anxiety is unreal but if it is cancer, the GP did the right thing. Too many GP's are missing potential cancer, especially in children.

I would push to be seen sooner. Time is of the essence.

Fingers crossed that it is benign. xx

I’d push to be seen tomorrow if this was my dd, I’m so sorry this is happening to you.

Go to a&e if needed.

Me too.

I work in paediatric cancer research. Do not wait. Go to a+e and present there.

Thankyou very much for all your replies. We pushed the lady on the phone when we were given our scan date and children’s hospital appointment which is this Thursday (scan) and she said this is really good timing so I had complete trust in what she said. Looking back I should not have done seems a&e is the answer!

*wednesday sorry not Thursday

I know once the C word is mentioned it’s hard to think of anything else, but them saying it could be cancer and referring you urgently is them starting from the worse option to start working backwards which is exactly the right way to do (and quite different to saying they think it is cancer). Fingers crossed it’s not and they are just being cautious and if it is, then they have done a great job of getting you seen quickly.

This looks exactly the fatty deposit my son had on his back

This is entirely inappropriate advice

This is entirely inappropriate advice

Bollocks is it, if my GP has said my four year old could have cancer I’d want answers today, not in 2 weeks time.

I’m so sorry OP, you must be horrendously anxious. I’ll be praying it’s something totally benign and that this is just a short nightmare.

I think that Dr is utterly mad to say he suspects cancer after a feel !!! It is enough to say it is a two week wait referral. These things move horrendously slowly, op I cannot imagine the stress you are under.

Lots of our paediatric referrals come via a+e or our assessment unit which gp's can refer in to. If you are happy to wait until your scan then do. If not, do present.

FWIW mine had a lump around that age and was also referred on the two week pathway.

the dr did say that it was precautionary due to age, they take lumps in kids seriously as they’re less likely to have general lumps and bumps we get as we age.

it was all fine in our case, day surgery, biopsy. Done.

Sorry no experience of the specific issue but I would say that being put on the two week pathway doesn’t mean they think it’s cancer, just that they want to rule out the worst case scenario first. When I got referred for a breast lump once, the doctor said to me just so you know it will say suspected cancer on the letter, that doesn’t mean I think it’s the most likely, just that’s the wording for the two week pathway. Of course it didn’t stop me worrying, but it did mean that when I’ve been out on the two week pathway for other reasons and seen those words, I have worried less.

FWIW I wouldn’t go to A&E tomorrow if your scan is Wednesday, I doubt they would do anything and you’d probably be in for a long old wait.

Good luck.

Presumably if they go thought it needed seeing today, they would have referred straight to paeds, or a+e with a letter.

o/p has a scan in 48 hours, little point wasting everyone’s time in a&e.

yes it’s hell waiting, but one day is not going to change the outcome.

Zany, i hope you find it is nothing more than an inflamed Bakers cyst. We are all thinking of you and your family🌺

I have several lumps that look like this, benign fatty lumps , annoying but not sinister. There are other explanations other than cancer

For suspected Sarcomas which are a type of cancer soft tissue or bone cancer there is a 48hr referal pathway not a 2 week wait one. This is NICE guidelines for GPs.

We were also told that parents can present at A&E - in fact a friend of mine did with their child after being dismissed by her GP, and acutally laughed at by a nurse in A&E - their faces soon changed when the X ray came back.

We were put on a 2WW that ended up being an 8WW before finally getting an MRI and diagnosis due to all the 'oh it is probably nothing' brigade who I listened too to my eternal regret. The tumour doubled in size and metastised in that time. I have sat for three years listening to parents with the same stories.

Childhood cancer is rare but it happens - the UK needs to change its mindset from first thought its likely not cancer to let's rule out cancer first and it will save more lives.

Well done OP for advocating for daughter and keep going. I hope you get good news.

The fact the doc put you on a 2 week wait indicates he more than likely thinks fatty deposit.

I don’t believe he said to a parent that it was probably cancer after a bog standard GP app

Thankyou everyone else for your lovely messages! Fingers crossed for some answers soon although I can imagine following the x-ray we will have a bit of a wait
@Stillso as I have previously said he has ‘suspected possible cancer’ not told us it is probably cancer. We have also been given a leaflet on understanding your suspected cancer referral. This is not something I would lie about.