Getting the Diagnosis Right

The client and her husband had been ALIVIA PROACTIVE clients for six months when she felt a lump on her left thigh. The client did not want to travel outside of Russia and Alivia therefore organized an ultrasound at a clinic in Moscow which detected a tumour 15 cm above the knee.

The preliminary diagnosis was a so-called myosarcoma – a malignant cancer arising from muscular tissue. She was told that a needle biopsy (a tissue sample) was needed, but that the likely outcome would be to amputate the leg due to the cancer.

Alivia recommended that she seek a second opinion from a specialized oncologist in Switzerland prior to acting on the advice from the Russian clinic. The Swiss specialist reviewed the case and advised that:

1. A needle biopsy of a myosarcoma could be hazardous, since the tumor could spread (metastasize) through the biopsy canal
2. If a biopsy was to be performed, the biopsy canal had to be marked, because the biopsy canal as well as the tumor would have to be removed, if the suspicion of a myosarcoma was confirmed by the biopsy
3. Further noninvasive diagnostic procedures were recommended before any biopsy

The client received an MRI scan of the leg which Alivia recommended should be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team. It was sent to the Swiss oncologist and a radiologist specialized in oncology for review. In their opinion, the tumour could be an atypical schwannoma – a benign tumour arising from nerves running through the muscles of the leg.

Further MRI scans were performed to strengthen the new preliminary diagnosis. The following day, the tumour was safely removed by a neurosurgeon at a private hospital, and the diagnosis was confirmed.

After completion of the treatment, the client returned to her regular ALIVIA PROACTIVE plan without any changes to the program. She could not thank Alivia enough for recognizing faults in the initial diagnosis and its insistence on getting a second opinion.