TC in an 8 year old?

[SahmIam]

My best friend has an 8 y/o son who's scrotum swelled up to the size of an adult fist. He went to several doctors. The urologist has told my friend that if the boy were older or an infant, he would be relatively sure that it was TC but with him being 8, he doesn't fit the typical profile. He found a hard knot on the left side. They are doing exploratory surgery and taking the knot out in the morning.

Has anyone ever heard of this age child having TC?

My friend is frantic. She lost her other child in a car accident several years back and is afraid of losing this child too.

Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Elizabeth

[Rune]

Elizabeth,

So sorry to hear about your friends son. These things should happen to no one and least of all children.

I really don't understand the urologist basing his diagnosis on statistics. Just at this site, we have lots of cases that don't fit the "typical" age profile of 15-35.

Did your friends son receive an ultrasound exam to determine what the knot was? Doing "exploratory surgery" is really not standard procedure in these cases. Normally, the doctors would do an ultrasound to determine if the knot is a solid tumor in the testicle. 95% of testicular tumor are malignant, so if the ultrasound determines it's a tumor, they would remove the entire testicle trough a canal in the groin.

The problem is, that going in through the scrotum can "disturb" the tumor and cause the cancer to spread. If that's what they're planning, I would most certainly put the surgery on hold and get a second opinion!

Maybe they're planning on going in through the canal, clamping the testicle to prevent spread and doing a biopsy of the tumor to see if it's malignant and only removing the testicle if that's the case. That's totally valid.. they did so in my case.. but your friend needs to be sure first.

Sorry to hear about your friends other son. I can fully understand why she's frantic, but even if it turns out to be cancer, TC is THE most curable cancer there is, with a cure rate near 100% when caught early.

Please keep us updated!

[SahmIam]

ultrasound showed....

Thanks for your quick reply to my post. There was an ultrasound done. They said that there is a mass in his left testicle and they are thinking that it is either a tumor or dried blood from a hernia. However, they do not think he has a hernia.

They are going in through the groin for the surgery. They are going to go ahead and do bloodwork as if they were doing a biopsy. If they feel it is necessary once they go in, they will do a biopsy. They have told her that they are removing the mass and may have to remove his left testicle. I figure they must be worried because they scheduled the surgery quickly. He was first seen for this on Monday and the surgery is today. According to the child's father, he did not have any swelling two weeks ago. I think they are concerned that it is a very fast growing tumor.

I will let you know how things and what they find.

Elizabeth

[Rune]

Elizabeth,

Ok, it sounds like they know what they are doing.. I was just concerned about possible spread.

Did he have a blood test, which can show whether there's any "tumor markers" in the blood, before the surgery? A negative result doesn't rule out cancer, but it makes it less likely.

The fact that the surgery was scheduled quickly doesn't mean the doctors are more worried than normal. It's standard procedure to do the surgery quickly after determining there's a tumor.. in most cases the next day or at least within a week. Also, the swelling doesn't necessarily mean it's a fast growing tumor, might be due to a build-up of blood, for example.

[SahmIam]

They have not done any bloodwork. They are going to take blood after he goes to sleep.

When they did the ultrasound and exam, they said the blood flow was good. There was no cyst, no hydrocell and it wasn't twisted. That doesn't leave a lot. Also, based on what she said the doctor said, I think he may be preparing her for a strong possibility of cancer. I sure hope it is not cancer.

Any advice for support people? I know that there is nothing I can say to make things better. My plan is to just be there to hug her when needed.

Elizabeth

[Rune]

Elizabeth,

Based on what you've described, I'm afraid I'd have to say it does sound an awfully lot like cancer

Sounds like a good plan. Just being there is an immense support, believe me.

[huckchef]

i am praying that the results will not be cancer. if so, things will be okay! be there as comfort for your friend but also give the space needed for their emotions as well. its great that you are there as a support system. if its cancer they will need it! hope all turns out well! brian

[Mom]

Rune made a very good point. The swelling may be just blood in the tumor. That is what happened to my husband. He injured the tumor(s) which caused a dramatic pool of blood (like hitting your forehead - a knot forms). It swelled overnight but the tumors were tiny. Without the swelling we would have never known there was a problem. Support your friends by being there with them or helping them out if they have other children but most important, STAY POSITIVE. Buy the little guy something. Keep us posted. Dianne

[dadmo]

Elizabeth:
Take comfort in the fact that the doctors seem compotent. These situations can be awkward for friends so you will need to be strong. I always someone in the family to do research, perhaps in this case that someone may need to be you. Encourage your friends to learn all they can, the more they know the less frightning this will be. Also let her know that this forum is here for her as well. The attached link will that you to a web site with lots of good info about tc. http://tcrc.acor.org/ Stay strong, you're a good friend and they will need you.

[Karen]

Elizabeth,
Unfortunatley even infants can have TC. My heart aches for what your friend is going through, especially after the loss she's already endured. You've had good advice from the others here. Visit the site dadmo pointed you to and read how treatable/curable TC is so you can be positive for your friend. Note who the experts are and guide her to them if she is in need of a second opinion after the surgery. We are all here for you and for your friend. Of all cancers, TC has a very high cure rate...things are not as bleak as they seem. Blessings to the little one and strength to you and your friend.

[SahmIam]

I just got back from the surgery. He has Rabdomyocarcinoma. I will need to do some research and find out more about this type of cancer. The tumor was about the size of a softball. The doc thinks he got it all but they are doing a CT scan of his body on Monday.

Elizabeth

[dadmo]

This is a very agressive form of sacoma and will need to be treated by experts. Where are you located?

[SahmIam]

Sorry, I had it wrong, it's Rhabdomyosarcoma.

We are in Jackson, MS. I am trying to talk my friend into taking her child to St. Judes in Memphis. We have a research hospital here, University Medical Center. They are supposed to be very good too. He is going to Blair E. Batson Children's hospital for the CT.

Elizabeth

[Scott]

There's a little more information on rhabdomyosarcoma at this link and this link. I hope the news is all good from here.

[dadmo]

Sloan Kettering in NYC has one of the world experts in this disease on their staff. The doctors name is Paul Meyers (212-639-5952) . Your friends might want to give him a call and see if he may have some treatment options that the doctors at St. Judes might have overlooked. The hospital general number is 800-525-2225.