SIL has had a lump in her neck for a few months. Initially doctors seemed fairly disinterested but with a bit of coaxing she eventually had an mri scan. Now within a week they’ve brought her in for ct scan, blood tests and a pet scan is on the cards. She doesn’t see consultant till Thursday so hasn’t had a diagnosis but it seems clear they think it could be cancer. Are all these tests normal in such a short space of time?

Hello, from my experiences earlier this year it sounds normal if they are looking for something, sorry cant think of a better way to phrase it, best of look hope its all just a precaution which it may well be.

Depends what they’re looking for. CT/PET is a good way to spot abnormalities in the lungs/lymph nodes/liver and spleen.

I’d expect both that and blood tests in a short space of time if they are concerned about the possibility of cancer. Have they talked about biopsy of the neck lump yet?

It’s obviously really worrying, but it’s a good thing that they are getting on with those quickly – she will get a definitive answer quickly, which is what you need in these circumstances.

Oh yes, forgot that. She had the biopsy too so all the results should be there when she speaks to the consultant Thursday. A bit more assured that its normal not to drag this out a bit. It seems a bit frustrating when its only the nurses and receptionist making phone calls at this point so can’t answer many of the questions she wants to ask.

Basically with all those test results in hand, if it is cancer, they’ll not only know what type, but also the staging – whether it’s spread beyond the original tumour. Which means your SIL can have a proper chat about what happens next in terms of treatment and outcome.

Sounds like she’s in good hands.

fwiw I had a very similar set within a few days once. It just means they are taking it seriously. It doesn’t mean they will know for sure what it is or even that it is cancer, just that they are doing what they can to find out what it is

Yes, if they think its cancer they may well run these tests as soon as possible. It doesn’t mean it is of course but they want to know.

Once the NHS are alerted they have 2 weeks to get the initial screening done. They suspected I had prostate cancer (I didn’t) but the speed it moved forward at was frightening ….

A friend of my mums, who has got over breast cancer previously, went through all of this again a couple of months ago – and it turned out NOT to be cancer.

I went to see my GP about a mole a few years ago, who decided to refer me to get it checked. I was very panicked when I got a call that same evening from the GP telling me that size and shape of the mole meant that I got a 48 hour referral for tests. That turned out NOT to be cancer.

It’s great that they are being so quick and so thorough, but scary at the same time. Even if it is the worse news, at least they will have things in place to start fighting it

Cheers all. Have shown this thread to my wife and she is a lot happier and reassured having read this, so will have a chat with her sister. Fingers crossed it turns out to be nothing, or as you say they are in the best position to treat it.

Yes, quite normal if suspected cancer. Good old NHS !