Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Unknown mass in uterus...smooth, shiny, florescent....could it be cancer?

Dear Dr., thank you for taking my question. My mother is 64 years old and in late February she experienced postmenapausal light bleeding for a couple of days. She immediately made an appointment with her gynecologist who did a D&C this week. He found a polyp, which he removed. He also found a strange mass which he described as "unlike anything I've seen in my 27 year career". He said it was shiny and smooth "like a bone", and in his words...appeared "florescent". He said he wasn't completely ruling out calcium deposits but he had never seen anything like this. He wasn't able to remove it (I don't know why) but he did remove a piece of it for a sample. He is having a biopsy done on the strange sample and the polyp. He also sent a sample to another kind of gynecologist for him to look at. He said that my Mom will need a hysterectomy and that if the sample is only calcium, he will do the hysterectomy here but if it is cancerous, he will have it done by a gynecologist at the state university medical center. We are very worried and I'm concerned by his statement that he had never seen anything like this before. Have you come across anything like this or do you have any thoughts or ideas on what this might be? If it is cancer, would the fact that my Mom went to Dr. at the first sign of a problem give us any hope that a hysterectomy would be able to catch the cancer (if that's what it is)? Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Dr. Brown, thank you so much for taking the time to help us. I appreciate your encouragement. I think it was the Dr. saying that he had never saw anything like this; that has us so incredibly worried. I'm hoping this could be something non-cancerous but he must at least think it's a likely possibility.
Thank you again.
Helpful - 0
603463 tn?1220626855
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi!
First of all, it sounds like your mother's doctor did everything right. Removing the mass without knowing what it is might have been risky.  Doing a biopsy and sending samples to both a pathologist and gyn oncologist (I assume that is the other type of MD ) was a very good idea, and you will almost certainly have some answers within a few days.
Beyond that, I don't want to speculate about what the mass is.

I would venture to be however that because your mother did not delay seeking care, if there is any type of malignancy, she will be a good candidate for cure.

Good luck!
Dr B  
PS if you want to re post with the path results, I would be interested to hear!
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Gynecology / Women's Health Forum

Popular Resources
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
Normal vaginal discharge varies in color, smell, texture and amount.
Bumps in the genital area might be STDs, but are usually not serious.
Chlamydia, an STI, often has no symptoms, but must be treated.
From skin changes to weight loss to unusual bleeding, here are 15 cancer warning signs that women tend to ignore.