On 4/30/2008
Rob58185 wrote:
I am 43 year old male. Had a MRI of my back for a back pain issue. They find a 3cm cyst with a 1cm nodule. Sent me for a CT with and without contrast. Family Doctor gets the report and tells me I need to see a specialist. I asked if it was anything to worry about and he says No but there is a lesion and we don't know what it is. After a CT scan and an MRI... I thought the reason for the CT scan was to find out what it was?!
Can someone please tell me if I should be concerned!
Unfortunately, a one cm nodule is probably too small to tell with certainty if it is cystic (and probably benign) or solid (and probably malignant). I have this problem, and have been having repeat CT scans once a year to monitor it. Mine has not changed in size, so we are continuing to watch and wait. Get copies of your CT and MRI reports; you may learn more from them.
The CT scan and MRI can tell that there's a lesion there, and if it's larger than about 2 cm, they can tell if it is cystic or solid, and if it's done with contrast,if it is a different character than the tissue around it. But until a pathologist examines the lesion, no one can be absolutely sure just what it is. A needle biopsy is not usually done on a solid kidney mass because the biopsy itself can cause other problems, and since solid kidney masses are malignant, they are usually removed without a biopsy.
Is it a urologist that your doctor wants you to see?