Hi. I went to PCP because of a painful lymph node under my arm. I was referred to a Breast Specialist surgeon, and underwent several ultrasounds, a CT scan, a core biopsy and then follow up ultrasounds every three months. The last ultrasound said it appeared resolved, but I could still feel it. My surgeon could feel it too and her exam and palpating it caused me a good deal of pain.She then gave me the option of continuing ultrasounds every three months or excising it to see what was going on. I chose the surgery, as it had been nearly a year of trying to figure it out.
I also have Sjogrens Syndrome, which puts me at a higher risk of lymphomas.
I thought I'd get a definitive answer by having (3) lymph nodes out and examined, but am feeling back to square one because the sample for flow cytometry was considered not viable enough for good diagnostics. I go in tomorrow to speak to the surgeon about all the path results, and I've researched some of the terms myself. But, dermatopathic features is again a non committal term, and when I search small, mature lymphocytes the first things that come up are CLL and SLL. So....here I am again.
I wondered if anyone else has seen those terms on a path report and what their determination was. For example, does that mean we don't see any cancer now, but these changes indicate there may be a malignancy in the future?
Ok, I've written a short book, so thanks for bearing with me. Let me know your experiences.