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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Could Discomfort Underneath Shoulder Blade And Ribcage Denote Lung Cancer?

I have a discomfort underneath my right shoulder blade. The discomfort is also in the rib cage so when I breath in I can feel it. I think I have had this on and off for years (!!), but I seem to be noticing it more now. If I press my shoulder blade area it is tender and it is tender along the spinal area and also at the top of my shoulders. I have always carried my stress in my shoulders. Of course (like everyone else) I am worried I have lung cancer. I have no other symptoms e.g. cough, headaches etc. My doctor recommends I have a series of massages to ease the tightness and if this doesn't help then to go back to him. I am thinking why don't I just have an MRI scan to see if there are any tumours in my body. Will an MRI Scan show any tumours in the body? Many thanks Lynda
Thu, 16 Jun 2016
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's  Response
hello lynda,
I understand your worry of cancer in the limelight of today's awareness about cancer. However a pain which had been there for years together is less likely to be cancer related and more likely to be of some other origin such as nerves or muscles.
Considering you in your mid forties, many people do develop posture related pain in body.
Do you have other risk factors for developing lung cancer like smoking or family history, occupational exposure to silica asbestos chromium coal or soot?
If yes then you can be stratified into different risk strata and further screening can be planned.
MRI scan of the soft tissue can give you detail about of muscle and bones but is not a screening tool for lung cancer screen. So i will not suggest that

Do revert with some details of your age family and occupation. We can discuss it further
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Could Discomfort Underneath Shoulder Blade And Ribcage Denote Lung Cancer?

hello lynda, I understand your worry of cancer in the limelight of today s awareness about cancer. However a pain which had been there for years together is less likely to be cancer related and more likely to be of some other origin such as nerves or muscles. Considering you in your mid forties, many people do develop posture related pain in body. Do you have other risk factors for developing lung cancer like smoking or family history, occupational exposure to silica asbestos chromium coal or soot? If yes then you can be stratified into different risk strata and further screening can be planned. MRI scan of the soft tissue can give you detail about of muscle and bones but is not a screening tool for lung cancer screen. So i will not suggest that Do revert with some details of your age family and occupation. We can discuss it further