Slightly enlarged spleen

[ash6]

Hi all

hope your keeping safe, so Monday night I was in a and e with a hernia so they did tests and a CT scan with the yellow dye and said it was ok just take it steady as they managed to pop it back in. So the doctor calls me today for a follow up and everything else was fine except they noticed my spleen was slightly bigger than normal so now I need more blood tests.

this has set my anxiety through the roof

has anyone else had any experience with this issue? Just looking for some advice and more info really

thank you

[Newdawn Administrator]

Hi ash,

I see you’re not one of our diagnosed members but are a regular on the Asthma Site.

Please don’t jump anxiously to a belief that ‘a slightly enlarged spleen’ means the existence of a blood cancer. There’s lots of more likely innocent reasons including infections of all kinds and I see from recent posts that you’re prone to respiratory infections. Sometimes people who are more overweight have slightly larger spleens too. The CT scan and further blood tests will detect any issues.

Dr. Google will lead you down dark places you shouldn’t venture into so avoid it! There’s too many other reasons your spleen could be enlarged. I had a very enlarged spleen (splenomegaly) but it didn’t become so until many years into my CLL diagnosis and other factors were much more obvious before then.

Hope all goes well with your tests,

Newdawn

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator]

Hi Ash,

I see that while you have been a member of HU for some time, this is your first post to our community, no doubt because spleen enlargement is common with blood cancers and you've just found out from your CT scan that your spleen is slightly enlarged. I presume you have never been diagnosed with a blood cancer, such as CLL?

Firstly, is this the first time you've had a CT scan? It is possible that your spleen has always been slightly on the large size.

Do you have any other symptoms that are concerning you with respect to having a blood cancer? Are your experiencing any bruising, breathlessness (beyond that caused by your asthma, smoking or any lung infection), swollen nodes, night sweats, serious levels of fatigue, having trouble stopping any bleeding, an increased number of infections or any other suspicious new symptoms?

Your doctor has ordered some blood tests, so if these show an increased lymphocyte count, or perhaps anaemia or a low platelet count, then your doctor should then investigate further, which might include a referral to a haematologist to investigate if blood cancer is causing your slightly enlarged spleen and the abnormal blood test results. Blood cancer can be checked by what's known as an immunophenotype blood test. This uses a technology known as flow cytometry to check your white blood cells for a monoclonal population (identical copies) and if that is found to be present, what kind of white blood cell is in excess and presumably sequestering in your spleen and hence what blood cancer would be responsible.

Blood cancers are fairly rare. The most common adult blood cancer supported by this community is technically a lymphoma and doctors might see around six patients develop a lymphoma in their entire career. You haven't shared your age, but I suspect your age might count against a diagnosis of CLL, as the median age of diagnosis is 71. While it is possible to be diagnosed at a much younger age with CLL or another blood cancer, it's also much less likely.

In the quite unlikely situation that you end with a diagnosis of CLL, you have found a very supportive community, but I suspect a far more benign reason will be discovered to explain your slightly enlarged spleen.

Neil

[ash6]

Thank you for your comments it’s much appreciated. I had a CT scan around 2 months ago to check my lungs to see if they were blocking with mucus. Nothing was said about my spleen then. I am 32 yrs old and a fair bit overweight. I do currently have a very crackly cough and I’m coughing up thick mucus. I have always bruised easy ever since I was young, I don’t have issues where cuts bleed more than normal. I do get tired but again I think that’s being overweight and I have a really poor sleep routine. I also suffer with anxiety since a breakdown 12 years ago. I am hoping nothing to worry about but I will have to wait for the blood results, I have the appointment to have my bloods taken on Tuesday.

Thank you both again