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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Movable Lump On The Mid Back?

Hi. My mother who is 71 just was told by her massage therapist that she has a big lump on the middle of her back and that she should have it checked out. I looked at it and the skin on top of it moves around and the lump itself I think is hard and doesn t really move. What could it be?
Mon, 8 Feb 2016
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Pathologist and Microbiologist,  's  Response
Hello and welcome to HCM,
A lump on the middle of the back needs urgent attention.
A lump in an elderly needs to be investigated and a possibility of malignant or cancer needs to be ruled out.
I suggest you to consult your your primary healthcare provider for clinical assessment.
A clinical assessment is required to determine the character of the lesion.
Mid back is prone to develop soft tissue tumors.
As you have mentioned that the lesion is hard, a bony lesion needs to be ruled out.
If the lesion appears to be bony, a X-ray of back will be required.
An aspiration cytology of the lesion needs to be done which involved introduction of a fine needle, aspiration of cellular material, staining of the cells and examination under microscope.
The microscopic examination will determine the origin of the lesion and its nature - benign or malignant.

Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja Puri

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What Causes Movable Lump On The Mid Back?

Hello and welcome to HCM, A lump on the middle of the back needs urgent attention. A lump in an elderly needs to be investigated and a possibility of malignant or cancer needs to be ruled out. I suggest you to consult your your primary healthcare provider for clinical assessment. A clinical assessment is required to determine the character of the lesion. Mid back is prone to develop soft tissue tumors. As you have mentioned that the lesion is hard, a bony lesion needs to be ruled out. If the lesion appears to be bony, a X-ray of back will be required. An aspiration cytology of the lesion needs to be done which involved introduction of a fine needle, aspiration of cellular material, staining of the cells and examination under microscope. The microscopic examination will determine the origin of the lesion and its nature - benign or malignant. Thanks and take care Dr Shailja Puri