Health

Woman's 'liver cancer tumor' that was the size of a grapefruit turned out to be a rare parasite


A Canadian woman said she ‘was preparing to die’ when she was told she had a liver tumor only to be left even more shocked when it turned out to actually be a rare parasite that she will have to treat for the rest of her life.

For years, Cassidy Armstrong, 36, of Edmonton, Alberta, had an aching pain on her right side, but neither X-rays nor blood tests revealed anything unusual.

Then, last year, her health started to rapidly deteriorate. Cassidy dropped 25 pounds, couldn’t eat without digestive issues, and sleeping became next to impossible.

After an ultrasound revealed a grapefruit-sized mass in her abdomen, she was diagnosed with liver cancer, and scheduled for surgery in late November, reported TODAY.

But after doctors removed the growth and sent it off for testing, they discovered Armstrong didn’t have cancer at all.

She actually had a rare parasitic disease caused by a tapeworm that had likely been growing inside her for at least 10 years.

Cassidy Armstrong, 36, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, had pain on her right side for years but she mostly ignored it. Pictured: Armstrong in the hospital

Cassidy Armstrong, 36, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, had pain on her right side for years but she mostly ignored it. Pictured: Armstrong in the hospital 

In late 2019, she underwent an ultrasound, which revealed a grapefruit-sized tumor and doctors diagnosed her with fibrolamellar carcinoma, a rare liver cancer. Pictured: A scan showing where the parasitic growth was in relation to her liver

In late 2019, she underwent an ultrasound, which revealed a grapefruit-sized tumor and doctors diagnosed her with fibrolamellar carcinoma, a rare liver cancer. Pictured: A scan showing where the parasitic growth was in relation to her liver

Armstrong recalled her disbelief at being told she had fibrolamellar carcinoma, a rare liver cancer that mainly affects people under age 40 – and an intuitive sense that the diagnosis didn’t fit. 

‘I was shocked. I wasn’t feeling well, but there was something in the back of my head that said: “Really?”‘ she told TODAY. 

‘I believed [the doctors] because they’re doing their best based on [the evidence]. I was getting ready for the worst, I was getting ready to die.’  

Many patients with fibrolamellar carcinoma have no early signs and, when symptoms do appear, they are non-specific such as abdominal pain and weight loss.

It affects about one in five million people in the general population, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Doctors recommended that Armstrong not get a biopsy for fear that the cancer would spread, and she had surgery on November 27.

Because the growth was so large and had done so much damage, doctors had to remove 65 percent of her liver and all of her gallbladder. 

Tests a few days later revealed the grapefruit-sized mass was not a tumor at all, but a rare parasite. 

Armstrong had surgery in November 2019 but, after the mass was sent to a lab for testing, it was discovered to be a rare parasite. Pictured: Armstrong hiking

Armstrong had surgery in November 2019 but, after the mass was sent to a lab for testing, it was discovered to be a rare parasite. Pictured: Armstrong hiking

Armstrong told TODAY that the parasite diagnosis was an even bigger shock than learning – erroneously, it turned out – that she had cancer. 

‘I wasn’t sure what to think. I asked them: “Is this good?” and they said: “It’s much better than what we thought you had,”‘ she said. 

Dr Stan Houston, a professor of medicine at the University of Alberta, says Armstrong is one of about 15 patients in Alberta since 2013 who have alveolar echinococcosis, a rare parasitic disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.  

The tapeworm’s cells proliferate in the liver, causing tumor-like growths that are life-threatening, according to the Radiological Society of North America.

The growths can then spread to other organs and, without treatment, can cause liver failure or even death. 

People contract the disease by eating produce contaminated with the stool of animals that have the tapeworm, petting infected dogs or not washing their hands, Dr Houston told TODAY.   

The tapeworm is most commonly found in wild animals in the region from eastern Montana to central Ohio, with cases of animal-to-human transmission being low.

Because the growths multiply and spread like cancer, physicians might mistake them for the disease. 

‘Nobody [here] has ever seen this before. Nobody is familiar with it,’ Dr Houston told TODAY. 

‘So when you see a nasty shadow on the imaging, the ultrasound or MRI, all their experience would suggest it must be cancer.’

Armstrong was diagnosed with alveolar echinococcosis, a rare parasitic disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. Pictured: A scan showing Armstrong's growth

Armstrong was diagnosed with alveolar echinococcosis, a rare parasitic disease caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. Pictured: A scan showing Armstrong’s growth

She will need to be on anti-parasitic medication for the rest of her life because doctors can't guarantee they removed all the parasite's cells. Pictured: Armstrong in the hospital

She will need to be on anti-parasitic medication for the rest of her life because doctors can’t guarantee they removed all the parasite’s cells. Pictured: Armstrong in the hospital

Armstrong doesn’t know how she contracted the tapeworm, but believes she might have picked up the parasite while working on a farm, repairing equipment. 

Dr Houston believes the parasite was growing on her liver for anywhere between 10 and 15 years. 

Because Armstrong’s medical team can’t know for certain if they’ve gotten rid of all the parasite’s cells, she will need to be on anti-parasitic medication potentially for the rest of her life.

Dr Houston also told TODAY that she will need to undergo blood tests every month and a CT scan every six months.

Armstrong say she’s always had jobs that require a lot of physical labor, such as a motorcycle mechanic and a stage carpenter, which she can no longer do because of her illness. 

‘It’s just scary trying to figure out: “Okay, what’s the next thing? What do I do now?”‘ she said.



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.