Why would someone be called to an oncology appointment if they don’t have cancer?

[DelusionalBrilliance]

Strange title, apologies in advance but I would be very grateful of any insight.

Family member (male, 70) went into hospital with trouble breathing, fatigue and distended abdomen.

He was in for around two weeks total, intravenous broad spectrum antibiotics, several MRI’s and a biopsy of the liver as a scan showed what they believed to be an abscess but wanted to be sure.

They said there was a “mass” between the liver and lung, but the biopsy was negative for cancer so they discharged him and said to return in a week for another MRI, which he attended.

His breathing is still not great, still fatigued but the abdomen swelling has decreased.

He had a call saying he needs to attend oncology tomorrow for an appointment. The receptionist couldn’t tell him why. The only thing that’s changed / happened since he was in hospital is the MRI.

So if his biopsy was clear, and they discharged him after a week of antibiotics, what could have happened to mean he needs to attend oncology tomorrow?

And insight would be gratefully received, it’s totally thrown us all and we are entirely puzzled. Thank you.

I genuinely appreciate all of your replies, thank you ever so much for taking the time to give your insight. I promise to update tomorrow once we know how the land lies, but I am going to bed much more relaxed after reading the other possibilities that aren’t cancer. It’s galling how just the word cancer / oncology can really send you for a loop.

It’s been three years now and I’ve made a full recovery, thank you. The tumour was over 8lbs and very “wrapped” around my throat so it was a big operation, and recovery was slow. I was lucky to have an excellent surgeon and even the scarring is minimal, despite a very large incision (about 8 inches).
I made it into medical journals 😁

I remember getting a terrible fright when the letter arrived for my second consultant’s appointment, and the location was the oncology unit.

I think hospitals expect people to know these things- I certainly didn’t- and it can cause a lot of fear and stress.

I hope everything goes well for your relative.

Hi everyone, just wanted to update you all and thank you once again for all the insight.

Sadly the appointment wasn’t good news. They believe the liver abscess is a cancerous tumor, it’s non operable and it would be a case of palliative care. He has 6 more biopsies over the next two weeks, but the consultant has said he’s very sorry but it’s almost certainly cancer and the remaining biopsies are protocol rather than confirmation. It’s distressing that this is how he found out, but the consultant was very kind and informative, I think he broke the news to him in the kindest way possible.

He also said he believes there is infection around the tumour site, and this is what the initial biopsy picked up. There were other indicators of cancer in his blood tests and scans, but he wasn’t informed of this at the time he was in hospital.

I'm so sorry to hear this. You can get in touch with your local Maggies centre for support. They're wonderful

Oh I’m sorry, @DelusionalBrilliance I was hoping you’d get better news.

Oh I'm so sorry to hear your update.

That's awful. I hope you are both OK.

I'm sorry to read your update. My Dad was diagnosed with liver cancer, and passed away just under 5 months later. It was swift, and brutal. If they haven't done so, ask Oncology to refer your relative to the specialist palliative team. They were an absolute ray of light with my Dad even though there were initial hiccups with getting everyone on board.

Thinking of you

Sorry @DelusionalBrilliance not the news we were all hoping for you and your relative.

I know you are probably reeling, but one question I would ask is if the remaining biopsies are only for “protocol” purposes, is there any point in having them done? What’s the point of putting your relative through 6 procedures if it’s not going to change the outcome or affect palliative care?

I'm sorry, that's very tough news to take in. Xx

I am so sorry OP, what a dreadful shock for you both.

Hi OP.

So sorry for the news. Cancer is incredibly cruel for everyone involved.

But to give you some hope maybe. Last year my Dad was diagnosed with cancer and it had spread. As I understand it ( hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong as I'm still learning on the job) once it has spread it's no longer "curable" so the term palliative is used. We had the same news but it was more the meaning of drugs to prolong life than a terminal diagnosis. Anyway my dad had responded incredibly to treatment, better than they ever imagined. And he is now in remission! It's a rollercoaster of a journey and living in limbo between appointments. But sending you lots of hope, hope you are doing ok.

Sending so so much love OP.

From all your posts I can tell you are a lovely lady xx

So very sorry OP X

How incredibly kind, I’m very touched 🥹 thank you❤️

So today he was back in for the first of his biopsies, they did an ultrasound beforehand and decided it was too risky to proceed, as whatever this growth may be, it is on something called a portal vein which makes it very hard to sample from.

We are at a bit of a loss, really. His consultant has been very direct and stated that he is almost certain it is cancerous, without the biopsy results but my poor FIL is unwilling to accept that as a diagnosis until there is a positive biopsy. Which is entirely his right to do so, of course, I think I would be the exact same way in his shoes. We as a family are simply sad that he doesn’t have answers, rather little glimmers of hope here and there with no way of processing what is happening because until there is a biopsy, he simply can’t accept it as fact.

He is only a few weeks into this journey and already I have learned hard and fast that cancer is not only a frightening and awful disease, but the actual process of testing, diagnosis and communicating with medical specialists makes it all so much harder. I have always naively thought that with cancer being so serious, everyone involved with the process would explain things well, that tests would be quick and answers straight forward. It’s simply not the case is it? I’m quite emotional actually, that anyone facing the possibility of cancer has to be subjected to this at the most scary and vulnerable time in their lives, it just doesn’t seem fair.

Phew! Thank you for letting me get that off my chest! Having a little cry but I’ll get a cup of tea and pull up my big girl pants.

Thank you everyone for the gentle and thoughtful messages, you’ve helped more than you know.

As I said previously, I’ll be sure to update. I want to believe that anyone down the line who was searching for insight might come across this thread and know a little bit more about the process than I did when I was looking.

Wishing you all well OP on this scary and unpredictable journey. This website was a great source of information and help: https://livercanceruk.org/

My Dad had HCC and was diagnosed via CT scan, it was already so advanced that they referred immediately to Oncology and confirmed diagnosis without biopsy.

Oh you poor love. What a horrible shock for you all. Is there somewhere else a biopsy could be taken from for your FIL to have the confirmation he feels he needs?

I don't have experience with this cancer, but have become quite knowledgeable around liver issues due to a family member. Give
you hospital a chance to come up with a plan, but don't be afraid to ask for a second opinion at another hospital. Kings college had far more options for procedures and treatments than our local hospital did due to having liver intensive care and just a really great liver unit.

Really sorry to read your update.