hepatic lymph node - 1270659

aussieguy
Posts:26

Hi Dr West ,

quick back ground

jan 2015 dignosed 3A squamous lung cancer
feb2015 left pnuemonectomy
april 2015 started cisplatin / vinoralbine
july 2015 first follow up chest / abdomin CT Scan

I am seeing my chemo oncologist shortly but i already have the report and I am finding myself going a little crazy .. basically most of the report is excellent clear chest , clear liver , kidneys etc etc .. just one thing is scaring me ..it says that a couple of lymph nodes in the hepatic region are swollen and one is 17mm big .. I have been researching as much as i can and it would appear that it is unusual for squamous lung cancer to go there but it can happen ? .. these lymph nodes were reported on in my Jan 2015 CT scan for some reason ( are these prominent lymph nodes or something ? ) in the Jan reprt it says they are sub centimeter .. I am terrfied that this is the beginning of the end , and so soon after chemo .. is there anything else that could make these lymph nodes so big ?

thankyou in advance

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Reply # - July 31, 2015, 03:00 AM

catdander
Posts:

Hi Aussieguy,

I certainly hope this isn't recurrence of the cancer, it's very possible that it's not. Cancer can do anything though progressing to an hepatic lymph node would be unusual.

Let us know what happens and or have other questions.

Good luck,
Janine

Reply # - August 1, 2015, 08:03 PM

aussieguy
Posts: 26

Hi Janine , I've been doing some more research and I can not find any lung cancer patients that have had progression to an hepatic lymp node so I don't know maybe I'm getting worried for no reason

Jase

Reply # - August 2, 2015, 07:44 AM

JimC
Posts: 2753

Hi Jase,

Lymph nodes can become swollen for a number of non-cancer-related reasons, most notably infection. I agree with Janine that while not impossible it would be unusual for this to be progression of your cancer.

Best,

JimC
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Reply # - August 2, 2015, 01:23 PM

aussieguy
Posts: 26

Thanks Jim

I am having a petscan on Tuesday so I should know more shortly , although infection shows up on a petscan too so maybe I won't have any further info ( in my staging petscan they seemed to be able to distinguish between cancer and infection ) also on my earlier ct scans they were able to say that my mediastinal lymph nodes were suspicious where as this ct scan says cause unknown and follow up on ct scans ,, I give you all an update as soon as I can

Jase

Reply # - August 4, 2015, 08:34 PM

aussieguy
Posts: 26

So just came back from seeing my onc ,, not as good a news as I could have hoped for but not totally done for yet . So the report says that there mildly increased uptake ,, there where a few lymph nodes that demonstrated mildly increased uptake but in the report it says that the lymph nodes below the diaphram are more suspicious for metastisise involvement ,, they are have a multi displinary meeting on Monday to decide what to do next but my onc is think they will want to biopsy he said they might be able to get it via a needle or they may have to do it via ultra sound down my throat ..

So not as good as I had hoped for but there is still a chance it could be infection

Jase

Reply # - August 5, 2015, 05:26 AM

JimC
Posts: 2753

Hi Jase,

Thanks for the update. We'll keep sending positive thoughts for good results, and will look forward to an even better update next time.

JimC
Forum moderator

Reply # - August 5, 2015, 01:53 PM

aussieguy
Posts: 26

Thanks for that Jim

I wish I could share your optimism , I think the fact that the report said suspicious for metastic involvement has sacred me quite a bit .. Also the fact that at least two of the nodes have grown ( one is 17 mm ) and that they had mild uptake on the pet scan .. I guess if I am adding everything together it's not looking good however as some one once said only a biopsy can confirm cancer so who knows , it might be good news shortly ,, fingers and toes crossed

Jase

Reply # - August 10, 2015, 05:01 AM

aussieguy
Posts: 26

So a bit of an update , met with my onc today , they had the multi disciplinary meeting and he wants to surgically remove the two lymph nodes and has referred me to a surgeon .. My radio onc normally fills in the gaps for me so I will have a bit more info soon .. Trying to read between the lines it would seem that they are worried that these lymph nodes are something and else , some other condition , sure hope it's not some other form of cancer ... My onc seems to think they are reactive but he also says that he has been wrong just as many times as he has been right so basically not much advice there ..: from my perspective one of my worries was that if I had the needle biopsy and it came back positive for cancer that they would not have removed the lymph nodes , just treated it with chemo .. So to me having them removed is sort of a bonus ..

Jase

Reply # - August 10, 2015, 09:21 AM

JimC
Posts: 2753

Hi Jase,

I can understand your concern, but the needle biopsy is a much less invasive procedure, after which surgery (or perhaps radiation) could be done. If you have them removed surgically now and they prove to be cancerous, the standard treatment would be chemotherapy, as it would be assumed that there are cancer cells in the bloodstream which might show up elsewhere. Chemotherapy would be easier to tolerate if you have not just had surgery.

Of course, if as we hope the biopsy shows that the nodes are not cancer, you will have avoided the discomfort and possible complications of surgery.

JimC
Forum moderator

Reply # - August 10, 2015, 01:22 PM

aussieguy
Posts: 26

Hi Jim , he said they didn't want to do the needle biopsy because of where the lymph nodes are located , tow hard to find with a needle and too much risk of blood vessel etc .. I will be seeing my rad onc later this week and he always lets me know what was said ... I just got the feeling yesterday that it is some other disease that they are looking for ,, ofcourse ,, I hope it's nothing but what ever it is , it would appear that we have caught it pretty early

Jase

Reply # - December 20, 2015, 01:30 AM

aussieguy
Posts: 26

Thought I would post an update , I ended up sending my pet scans to Peter Mac hospital and they had a multi disilpinary meeting and decided at that meeting it was decided that the lymph node was low probability of spread and they got my original petscan from my original staging before surgery and the lymph nodes had actually had mild uptake on that scan too , so it would appear that the lymph node has gone from about a centimeter to 1.7 centimeters in about 7 months but kept the same avidity on the petscan , my onc ( I have a few of these now, I usually refer to professor David ball at Peter Mac for any definitive opinions ) said that his opinion was that this lymph node was likely inflammatory and suggested follow up pet scan in Jan 2016 since my original post I have also completed my post operative radio therapy and I have put all my weight back on ( around 20 kgs ) which I'm told is a good sign .. So there's my update ,, I'm hoping for a good outcome in Jan and will report back

Reply # - December 20, 2015, 07:50 AM

JimC
Posts: 2753

Hi aussieguy,

Thanks for sharing your good update. The plan your doctors have laid out seems entirely appropriate, and I agree that adding back weight is a very good sign, certainly the opposite of what you would expect when there is progression.

I hope that you have great results in January, and we look forward to your next update. In the meantime, best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.

JimC
Forum moderator

Reply # - December 29, 2015, 04:41 AM

lisacolnett
Posts: 1

It can be alarming to find something on your body, such as a lump, that isn’t supposed to be there. However, it may surprise you to learn that lumps or bumps behind the ear are actually quite common. There are numerous reasons why a lump could develop behind your ear. Lipomas cannot be treated and will simply go away on their own, but all of the other causes of ear lumps have different remedies available. Some are even possible to do at home.

Reply # - January 27, 2016, 11:59 PM

aussieguy
Posts: 26

So just had my follow up pet scan ... All clear , I can't tell you how relieved I am , I still have a way to go but this scan result is very good news

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