I was dx'd with thyroid cancer in 2003...cleared in Aug. 2005. I started having chest pressure around the time I was dx'd with thyroid cancer and a CT scan showed a "soft tissue mass in the anterior mediastinum". I got a few opinions about these results and all of the Dr.'s thought this "mass" was just my thymus. My GP did another scan about 10 months after the first scan to ease my mind. The mass was still there, but it was "unchanged". Over the past few years I have had this ongoing feeling of chest pressure, slight shortness of breath, occasional chills, occasional low grade fevers, and horrible pain in my chest and neck area after drinking even the slightest bit of an alcoholic beverage. I've had numerous cardiac tests(including a cardiac cath)...all were negative. At that point...I was convinced that these symptoms were all anxiety related. I started to get worried about my symptoms again after coming across an article online that said alcohol related pain is a typical sign of Hodgkins. So, I talked to my Dr. again about the "mediastinal mass" and he insists I have nothing to worry about since the mass didn't change at all over the course of 10 months.

So, I'm not sure what to think. I've already had one cancer diagnosis...so I guess this makes me a little paranoid. The alcohol related pain has really gotten me worried.

Is it true that if this mass might be malignant it would have shown some sign of change over 10 months time?

I would greatly appreciate any of your thoughts or opinions.

Thanks so much

Please contact a new physician and allow them to do a health check up on you. Specifically an oncologist who works with Lymphoma would be ideal. There is a type of indolent Lymphoma which does not rapidly increase in symptoms and can be present for up to 15 years usually with no symptoms at all(which may be different than what you are experiencing.) Seek out a totally objective opinion if you can.

Thank you for replying, Merimac. I'm going to try to get into see another Dr. tomorrow. I won't be able to go directly to a specialist due to insurance, but I am going to demand that they atleast do another scan of my chest. I know a biopsy would be the only real way to confirm malignancy, but the location of this "mass" is deep within my chest(lying behind my heart). When I had the biopsy of my thyroid tumor...it was done fairly easily by a fine needle aspiration. I'm guessing a biopsy of a tumor deep within the chest would require a fairly serious surgery? I know I'm probably getting myself worked up for nothing, but at 26 years old... I would have never imagined I would end up facing one type of cancer. The thought of having to go through another cancer dx and the treatments involved scares me to death.

*Huge Sigh* Well, I went to a Dr. first thing this morning(walk in clinic)...2 different Dr.'s there looked at my scans and both agreed this was nothing to be concerned about. The Dr. I saw said he was sure what the Radiologist referred to as a "mass" was just my thymus gland. He said that some people's thymuses just don't shrink down like they're supposed to? He thought the pain after drinking alcohol was due to severe heartburn. He thought the low grade fevers were due to me being kept on a high level of thyroid hormones and blamed the chest pain/shortness of breath on anxiety/hyperventilation. Grrr... Needless to say, I'm a little frusterated. I just hope he's right about the mass.

I also got my blood test results back from my last Dr.'s visit and everything was normal(CBC and Metabollic panel). I guess maybe that's a good sign?

I know that you are probably feeling some relief and some doubt. That feeling is very common after some one has experienced cancer. The thought is always in the back of the mind, what if.... and it is quite normal to experience this fear because a diagnosis of cancer is a traumatic experience even if the cancer is curable. Do not let this fear and subsequent diagnosis keep you from being sensitive to your body's changes. Once you have been diagnosed, it lets you know how your body reacts to cancer and to treatment. I hope that your anxiety in this starts to get better, but remain watchful.

Thank you, Merimac. You're always very helpful...a true asset to this board.

I have a Dr.'s appt. this afternoon with yet another Dr. I may be going overboard a little, but my health isn't something I want to mess around with. I'm hoping they'll atleast order another scan of my chest...to give me a little piece of mind. :)

Thank goodness I finally found a Dr. who actually listens. She seemed concerned about my symptoms and ordered a chest and abdominal CT. What a relief! I have an appt. set up to have the scans done next week.
She also seemed concerned about the nodes under my chin. I had almost forgotten about them since my last GP convinced me they were just reactive(he said they would probably stay enlarged since I touched them too much). I'm not too concerned about them since they haven't grown at all over the last year. But, I guess I'll wait and see how the scans turn out to figure out what to do next.
It's such a relief to find a Dr. who is actually willing to figure out what is causing these symptoms.