Worried about sarcoma - firm, immovable lump in thigh

[Mostu]

So two months ago I accidentally noticed while scratching my leg that I have a small mass in the front part of my thigh. It's not superficial, you can't see it, you can only feel it because it's deeper than skin level. It's not mobile, it's firm in consistency and it's about 13x5mm. It's also not painful. I know that lipomas are a thing but those are soft and movable, and mine isn't. It seems to be attached to a muscle, it becomes more prominent when I take a step forward, making the thigh more tense. I would've gone to a doctor earlier, but I actually got diagnosed with thyroid cancer recently and I'm having radiation treatment in a month, and I can't do MRI or CT because I need to stay iodine free before the upcoming treatment. Unfortunately all I can find about firm, immobile lumps is cancer, namely sarcoma. The good thing is that my lump hasn't grown since I found it and it's relatively small(sarcomas tend to be larger than 5cm), but still, the anxiety is killing me. I can't have two cancers at 25 years old. Anyone had something similar?

[utrocket09]

So two months ago I accidentally noticed while scratching my leg that I have a small mass in the front part of my thigh. It's not superficial, you can't see it, you can only feel it because it's deeper than skin level. It's not mobile, it's firm in consistency and it's about 13x5mm. It's also not painful. I know that lipomas are a thing but those are soft and movable, and mine isn't. It seems to be attached to a muscle, it becomes more prominent when I take a step forward, making the thigh more tense. I would've gone to a doctor earlier, but I actually got diagnosed with thyroid cancer recently and I'm having radiation treatment in a month, and I can't do MRI or CT because I need to stay iodine free before the upcoming treatment. Unfortunately all I can find about firm, immobile lumps is cancer, namely sarcoma. The good thing is that my lump hasn't grown since I found it and it's relatively small(sarcomas tend to be larger than 5cm), but still, the anxiety is killing me. I can't have two cancers at 25 years old. Anyone had something similar?

My husband had the same thing. He got an ultrasound. Turns out it was an abcess. We put a hot compress on it and fluid leaked out of it and it got better. They also gave him antibotics to treat it.

[Mostu]

Thanks for replying but I don't think that's it. When I google abscess you can clearly see them on top of the skin, my lump is under the skin, you need to feel for it.

[NessMonster]

I can't say I've ever had the same thing and I wouldn't want to speculate as I'm not a physical Healthcare professional. However, I think ultimately you won't know until you see your doctor about it. They may not need to run a test that involves iodine, such as an ultrasound. Some lumps can also be identified provisionally through touch. Googling isn't going to help. There are too many variables and all it does is increase the anxiety around the problem.

I imagine the near future is going to be really challenging as you go through treatment and I hope you have a support system in place.

[Mostu]

Yes I do realize that ultrasound is an option but I'd rather have MRI. The reason is that if the ultrasound shows worrying features, I'll have to deal with massive anxiety before I get an MRI following the ultrasound. Now I'm living with moderate, manageable anxiety. I need to wait till I get my cancer treatment and then I'll get the mass checked out, but I was just trying to put my mind at ease by asking here.

[Sparky16]

Did you check with a doctor about your imaging options? I had a lump on my thigh about 20 years ago and they did an MRI without contrast and that was all I needed.

[Mostu]

No I haven't told my doctor about it yet. Where I live we only have phone call doctor appointments so it wouldn't be any beneficial if I can't get physically checked first. The thing is that I'll have it checked in 3 weeks while in hospital, but the anxiety is slowly killing me

[scared88]

I'm also having a sarcoma worry. But the bone kind and on my clavicle, have a hard bony lump on the end of my clavicle by the sternum.

[bin tenn]

For what it's worth, lipomas are not always soft and/or mobile. I have a few myself (diagnosed by my doc) that are rather firm and/or immobile. It depends on the location and overall makeup of the lipoma.

[doinel9]

Hi Mostu,

I have had many firm, unmoveaveable lumps on skin (shoulder and lower leg, notably) that turned out to be dermatofibromas. Very common, often formed after getting a mosquito bite or other skin irritation, but sometimes for no particular reason.

I'm also suffering from health anxiety at the moment and fully empathize. But just as I'm telling myself that the particular rare disease I'm *so* sure I have is it, it's important to remember that there are many possible, entirely benign diagnoses for these lumps and bumps that appear on our skin. Dermatofibromas are for example FAR more common than sarcomas; in fact I'd venture to say that a high percentage of the population gets them, while sarcomas? pretty rare. So breathe, and remember that Google's algorithm is designed to validate anxiety because it sends the most-clicked search results to the top. The more anxious people click on the worst-case scenario pages in relation to a symptom, the more likely THAT page is likely to appear at the top. This bears no relation to actual probability of having a rare condition, and does not take into account the context, ie your age, health status, gender etc.

In any case, wishing you the very best. Get it checked out for peace of mind, but remember-- WAY more likely to be something benign.

Take care!