Cartilage Lump [posted 8/11/98]
Question: My 14 year old son has a lump just off center of his chest that a surgeon and his pediatrician has called an inflammation of the cartilage. Just a widening showed up on an ultrasound and that is the only test he had. I was told to watch it and return in 3 months, but sooner if I detected growth. Is this cartilage a common problem? I am concerned because my son has had 2 growths of tissue called tracheabronchialmalacia, which he has had laser surgery on in his airway. I can see this new lump and it feels soft and is about 3" by 1". Is it really just cartilage and is this common?

Answer: Very uncommon, it sounds like he has some disorder that leads to growth of cartilage or soft tissue masses. There are some genetic variations which do this. Has he seen a genetic counselor?

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