Are there some cancers which can't be diagnosed through blood tests?

[HandleMeCarefully]

Dh has painful enlarged spleen of unknown cause. GPs have previously (in last 6-9 months) screened for cancer with blood tests which were negative, and there were no masses observed in his spleen in echo examination.

He has recently (about a week ago) seen a Consultant Immunologist who has taken bone marrow, has sent him for a CT (today) and will see him in clinic again in 2 weeks. Dh freaked out because the radiographers let it slip today that he is an 'urgent' case.

I told him that he is probably urgent only because the Consultant Immunologist is probably sympathetic to how long he has been suffering with this enlarged painful spleen, and that he has been mismanaged (languished for a while in primary care going backwards and forwards to the doctor...then referral to inappropriate speciality eg Gastroenterology)...so she probably thinks he merits fast tracking now since this spleen issue has been going on too long and is painful....

But he reckons the 'urgent' means something sinister..

I am countering this suggestion by pointing out that his blood tests were negative and so was his echo....

Sorry to waffle, but he has me apprehensive now!

So, are there some cancers that wouldn't be picked up on blood test and echo alone?

Not sure, but my mum's blood tests all came back clear. she has lung cancer (so i dont know if that is why)?

Hope everything is ok with your dh?

Oh!

Sorry to hear about your mum - hope her treatment is going okay

Can anyone else help? I'm only going half out of my mind here, but don't mind me.....

Hi HMC I'm fairly new and have only posted a couple of times but thought I'd add my pennys worth! I did work as a doctor before I became a SAHM although that was 8 years ago so lets see what I can remember!!
Most cancers are not detected by blood tests but the ones they would predominantly be looking for with an enlarged spleen would be leukaemia and lymphoma. So if those tests were negative that sounds reassuring. There are many other causes of an enlarged spleen including all sorts of viral or bacterial infection, or problems due to the pressure in the veins draining the spleen or liver.
TBH if it were my DH I would be concerned but don't leap to the conclusion that this is sinister. The cause clearly needs to be found so you know what treatment is needed. Then you can start dealing with it rather than all the (very natural) worrying. It sounds as if the immunologist is being thorough. 2 weeks is such a long time when you are waiting for this sort of thing isn't it?
I think you are doing right thing to reassure DH. This is not definatley cancer just because it is urgent. It isn't normal though and you do need a diagnosis.
Sorry I can't be completely reassuring. Stay strong.

Handlemecarefully-I had cancer myself and it did not show up on any blood tests. (It was oesophageal).

But all I can say is that if anything sinister shows up on the scan, you are not likely to have to wait 2 weeks to hear from the hospital.

When mine was first spotted, during a barium meal, my phone was literally ringing as I got home from the hospital. I was invited back in to see the consultant within a couple of days.
They do not hang about if they suspect cancer.
But urgent does not automatically mean it is something sinister-and even then you can come through it!

Have they given your DH any idea as to what they are looking for?

Thank you Gingerwine and Tiggiwinkle - both of your posts are helping me get some perspective, and keep on this side of calm. No, they haven't given him a clear indication of what they are looking for and being a bloke he didn't think to ask! I shall be going with him to his next consultation.

Tiggiwinkle - I hope that you are well now?

Very well thank you HMC. I am very lucky to be here-mine was a late diagnosis and I had to have chemo and radiotherapy before I had surgery. (My oesophagus was removed and my stomach used to make a new "tube"-so I can eat whatever I like but in small quantities!) My surgery was eight years ago now.

I do know how awful it is waiting for results though-there is nothing worse than the "not knowing" but fearing the worst. I hope everthing is OK for your DH and it turns out to be something minor.

Thanks Tiggiwinkle - and fab that you are 8 years on and healthy. That's really great news given that you had a late diagnosis. It sounds like you really went through it but thank God you are well now.

I phoned dh and told him that he probably would have received a call from the hospital by now if anything was really awry - and that's helped him a bit. Thanks again

Thank you HMC-the worst thing was that my youngest was only one year old when I was diagnosed-you can imagine it was a really awful time.

Let us know how your DH gets on-and yes, do go with him to his next appointment. Your mind goes a blank and you need someone to ask the questions for you!

Sorry to hear he is having a hard time.

My blood tests didn't show my cancer either. But they could see mine on the camera so it was pretty clear what it was. Ooh Tiggywinkle I so want to be posting about it in such a casual way in eight years time!

Is it early days for you ThingOne?

I'm nearly finished a very long first round of treatment - two more months chemo, and then an op in early summer. I should be fine but I had (small) liver secondaries by the time I was diagnosed.

Hamg on in there Thingone-the treatment seems to go on forever when you're going through it.

Are you tolerating the chemo? I was very sick with mine, but they had to use one of the older more toxic types on me because of the type of tumour I had.

How is your DH HMC?

I was very sick after cycles two and three so they modified my treatment a bit and put me on steroids for five days a fortnight (my treatment is three days). It's been a lot better since. I have been sick but tolerably. I had bad peripheral neuropathy at one point but that's mostly OK now. Typing needs more attention and correction than before but it's keeping the old synapses going . You see, mumsnetting is a medical treatment.

The other problem I have is sensitivity to cold. Not a good year to have this kind of chemo over the winter! I can't do school pick up as it is too cold for me to wait outside but I can do drop off nearly every day, which is good.

Rooting for you Thingone - it sounds very gruelling. I hope that you are getting a lot of practical and emotional support.

Dh is still anxious Tiggiwinkle. He saw an old friend of his yesterday. Old friend is a Professor of Pyschiatry but many moons ago had a general medical training...and unfortunately his friend was a bit baleful - "you don't get hypersplenic for no reason"...dh had the bone marrow test 7 days ago (CT 2 days ago) and apparently the bone marrow one does take 10 days to report, so if we have heard nothing by say next Monday I guess no news is good news. 13 days to go until consultation!

I am getting help, thanks. And also because it's been going on for so long (been ill for two years, diagnosed 18mo ago) I'm well over the shock which can be so hard to deal with. I find self-medication with chocolate (in between chemo cycles) very effective.

Hope you get to the root of it soon HMC. 13 days is a long time to wait.

Goodness, Thingone-that has been going on for a long time. How many cycles of chemo have you had? You must be really looking forward to it finishing. Do you have to have radiotherapy then, or straight to the surgery?

HMC-that was very thoughtless of your DH's friend-not the kind of thing he needs to hear when he is so worried. Try not to worry-easier said than done, I know. (We have had a bad scare with my DH's health too, so I know how it feels from both sides).

Hi HMC. Not posted for a bit as my ds's 9th birthday yesterday. It's a shame your dh's friend has made him more anxious. true enough that there must be a reason but it doesn't have to be a terrible reason! Hang on in there until you know what this is. I would have thought if there was anything that needed urgent treatment they would contact you once they know the results. Unfortunately some of these tests do take a while to come back and CT scans need to be reported on by a consultant radiologist. Even if the news is bad you will be able to deal with it instead of this unknown entity. Tiggiwinkles post just shows things can turn out OK in the end.
The only thing you could do is ring your dh's consultants secretary and ask if the results will be back any sooner as you are all very worried. Of course there will be many patients in similar situations but asking can't do any harm.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Oh dear, this thread is really not meant to be about me!

Briefly, my GPs thought I had a bad back for months (starting Feb 2007). Finally I saw my own GP who found the tumour in July. After quick referral and diagnostic tests I was given a couple of weeks extra to wean my baby (now not a baby!) and started 5 weeks pre-operative chemo/radiotherapy in September. The radiotherapy then carried on shrinking the tumour for a few months and it was removed in Dec 2007 and I was scheduled for 6 months of chemo.

Then two small secondaries were discovered in my liver. Was planned to have half chemo before liver surgery and then half after. Very ill with infection (April/May 2008). Stopped chemo early. Liver surgery in July 2008 with quick recovery. Repeated infections in complication from initial surgery over summer ending with mini-surgery. Finally re-started my "six months" chemo in October 2008. Three more cycles left now so if lucky will have last dose in first week of March . And "hoping" for surgery to repair complication in April or May.

I think you could say I've been a bit unlucky. I am ow very fat form so long doing nothing an eating chocolate and very bored.

You have really been through it Thingone! Are you planning a holiday when it is all finished?

I had some complications too-I developed a pulmonary embolism while on the chemo which caused no end of problems with treatment, as I then had to be on warfarin. None of the anti-emetics worked for me to stop the sickness (apparently they do for 95% of patients-I had to be in the other 5%!). The radiotherapy made me as sick as the chemo, because when you have it on your oesophagus it causes major soreness and irritation and it is difficult to eat. Then the scarring makes it difficult for the food to go down at all and you are sick again!

But somehow you keep going don't you? We used to go out as much as we could, have little treats to look forward to and so on.

I had to wean my baby at the beginning of it all too-he will be 10 in a few weeks time .

HMC-Sorry to hijack your thread! Still thinking of you both. Do you have a good relationship with your GP? He may be willing to contact the consultant to find out if there is any news as yet.

Heck Thingone and Tiggiwinkle - I don't see it as a hijack at all! ..thank goodness the end is in sight for you Thingone, and my admiration for staying so positive...

Happy birthday to your ds gingerwine .

I've just rung the Consultant's secretary actually - but got her answerphone, so I left a message explaining that dh is climbing the walls with anxiety and can think of nothing else, and is there any possibility he could be seen prior to 11 Feb (in a private consultation if necessary)for the results....

Will try her again later..

Great HMC. You have done something really postive. I don't think private consultations are terribly expensive and well worth it if it prevents a long wait.

Thingone and Tiggiwinkle - You have my admiration too. You have both been through so much, and with little ones to look after too. I hope all goes well Thingone

Hope you hear back from secretary soon hmc.

Thanks for birthday wishes for DS. He is feeling all grown up ( he's 9!!). I just feel old!!!

Bcak later. Really must tidy my pig sty of a house before school pick up!!

Secretary got back to me and rather than a private appointment she has managed to fit dh onto next NHS one - which is next week; Wednesday 4th.

This is great ...but now thinking - eeek, has she been so helpful because the results are bad! No pleasing me is there! I am hoping that she has responded positively to my request only because I asked her nicely , and also because I emphasised that dh was very anxious; rather than because there is any bad news........

Not long to wait though. She said the results are back - I didn't ask her what they were since I don't think she would be allowed to tell me would she...(and her consultant isn't in until Monday)

So pleased you do not have so long to wait HMC.

Looking on the bright side, if the results are back and they have not contacted your DH already, there is a hopefully a good chance things are OK.

Does your DH feel well in himself? (apart from being beside himself with the worry of course!)

Hi Tiggiwinkle - thanks to you, gingerwine and Thingone for holding my hand through this .

He has a lot of discomfort / pain from the spleen (because it is enlarged)...otherwise few symptoms. He is tired - but then it's that time of year! and it is tiredness he is experiencing rather than exhaustion.

I think our best approach is to try and put it out of our minds until Wednesday...(must keep busy, busy, busy!)