lymph node testing for cancer

Hi,

sorry you have to be here but glad you found us. I have received lots of support from a great group of folks here. Did you have a biopsy done? My husband had swollen lymph node (right neck). They did an aspiration needle biopsy which gave us the squamous cell diagnosis. He did not have surgery since the chemo did a nice job getting rid of the tumor in the neck. 

After biopsy came positive they did MRI, petscan and more to reach final diagnosis: nasopharyngeal squamous cell Carcinoma.

Where r u getting treated. If possible, go directly to a big cancer center.

it is scary and the road is not easy but you can do it!

Good luck! 

home away from home (so to speak)....you have found the best forum on the internet for Head and Neck cancer.  My ENT did a needle biopsy in the swollen node, and it came back as SCC....however, he did tell me that should it come back inconclusive they would take the node, slice and dice it...to see if there was cancer in it.  Needle biopsies are famous for coming back inconclusive, and many people here have had the node removed rather than bothering with the needle.

You'll find many MANY people here who have had the neck dissection that your Dr. is talking about (where they take all the nodes)....and most if not all say that part of treatment was the easy part...quick to heal, and the scar seems to get lost in the neck....and is very hard to see after it's healed. 

For now, lets wait and see what you have....there's even a chance it's not either lymphoma OR SCC....one day at a time for now, ok?

p

I had SCC [squamous cell carcinoma] is the type of cancer. Mine was just above my larynx which they removed and did a neck dissection on both sides to remove the lymph glands as a precaution. 48 on the left and 38 on the right. I was asleep so it wasn't that bad, but did take 8 hours of surgery. I hope you are going to a major Hospital that does this all the time. Going local for the biopsy is fine. From what I foung doing my resurch there are about 200 to 300 lymph glands in the neck so they don't really take all. They did section 2-5 on me and didn't do 1 which is under the chin. If they do one side they will cut you behind the ear and around to about the center of your neck. I had both and removed my larynx so mine was from ear to ear. You will have drain tubes in for several days. The side they do will be numb for some time, and may be forever. My left will always be numb but I got the feeling back on the right. Wow does it feel weard with headphones on, you can't feel them. SCC is very treatable. If they do radation and chemo it is a rough road you will begoing dowm. BUT many have been down that road before you and we will all be here to help get you through it. Were open 24/7.

I was back at work in 10 weeks and most of my job was talking. Just take one day at a time, and don't try to Google it, you can get so much wrong information if you don't know where to go. Your best bet is ask here as we all have gone through it or are going right now.

Bill

wmc said:

Enlarged lymph node......

Thought I should add this as it might help you understand, "It's not cancer until it is confirmed cancer by a doctor".

When I was about your age [a few years younger] and I did not smoke then, I had a lump in my groin area and it did not seem to go away. The dr said it was a lymph node and it just is not working right. They get infections out of your body and yours just stopped and got pluged and wont pass the fluid. Cancer was never talked about at any time, just mine needed to be removed, which they did. Mine just stopped working and got enlarged and stopped passing the fluid as it was suposed to do. I never had any more problems with it, they just removed it, nothing else was ever done. That was over 45 years ago. Yours might be the same. No good doctor will ever say it is Squamous or Lymphoma without a biopsy to confirm it.  I would get a second opinion. 

Bill

I concur completely with wmc. Has anyone mentioned a PET scan? Do you have insurance that will pay for a PET if one is deemed appropriate for the evidence that makes your ENT suspect SCC?

You defininely want at least one 2nd opinion, which you are entitled to before even thinking about surgery.

I was a chain smoker for 47 years. They will continue testing you until they can prove to themselves that you are cancer free, long after you are tired of the procedures, especially since you are/were a smoker. I have since quit, something about my diagnosis helped me find my willpower to stop? 

You have had an enlarge lymph since 9/14, has it gotten any larger? Did the dentist see anything inside your mouth that would alarm them? It seemed odd to me, mine was being rushed I thought. I first presented with a sore throat, and it wouldn't leave for a year and again it seemed odd, after waiting a year for a diagnosis, the Dr's almost acted like they were going to put out a fire.

Of course the Dr's know best, but like I said before, you have time for another opinion, from the absolutely best source available to you. If you are within travelling distance of a premier facility, your ENT will help you get a second opine. You are not his first patient that has wanted another opinion. Mine got me "cuts in line" at the Mayo. These guys have all worked hand in hand before, they know the ropes, and they are aware that you are not. Stay the course, but from now on know, that you are the only person who can be your best health advocate. It can be a daunting chore, mine is, but time after time I have been so glad that I keep a copy of my files always. If you have the tech savvy you may want to consider uploading all your info and scans onto a thumb drive. It is hard to get another Dr. to do anything other than a quick scan of a radiologists report or synopsis. The will look at digital media, but I have found it hard to get them to look at paper files or discs of scans.

You will beat this regardless of what it is, but it is up to you. It is the week-end, you do not have a diagnosis, there is no good that can come from worry.

unitedsteel said:

Having CT scan tomorrow and

Having CT scan tomorrow and second opinion on Thursday.  Lymph node hasn't gotten any larger, its as hard as a rock.  Blood work shows WBC 12.5, from 9.5 in january 2015.  I greatly appreciate everyone for their input. The ENT said Pet scan after surgery.

IMO, and that is all this is, and on the www to boot, but.

Breathe, I think it is the most important thing we can learn to do. In through the nose, out through the  mouth. I will stop for a minute and follow my own advice. OK, I'm back.

No matter what it will help your body, blood, spirit etc. to get a higher O2 saturation. Calm, you have time. These procedures are a real PITA, but by a very high margin, quite survivalble. You are on "the survivors" network btw.

The high WBC count shows your immune system is battling "something", we don't know what it is. Let's just say worst case scenario it is SCC. A necrotic lymph node isn't the cancer itself, it is a symptom of a cancer [it is also a symptom of a plugged lymph gland], if it is SCC, it more than likely originates somewhere else, and the dying cells from a tumor would be collecting in a lymph gland, causing swelling, because it couldn't excrete the amount of dead cells. That is what cancer is right, an uncontrollable cell growth?

Ok, back. SCC in the neck area H&N I believe comes from the base of tongue, BOT. A tumor is usually near the lymph that is swollen or excretes into that lymph node, so the origin of a swollen neck lymph usually comes from the BOT, and they usually do a biopsy of the BOT before suggesting surgery. In my case I had a CT, which indicated SCC, than I had biopsy's, than I had a an FNA, fine needlle biopsy, then a PET which came back indicating SCC, in two necrotic lymph nodes, then surgery, in that order. It was hard to pin down anyone who would state in writing that I definately had SCC. Around here it seemed no one, wanted to go on record either way, they were ambigous.

You are also in charge here, and can decide to take command of your health directives or you can turn control over to your ENT. I think most people take choice B. If I didn't have so much fear of medical procedures and I had blind faith in Dr's, I probably would have just shut up and listened and took the advice of the first ENT that I visited. I have taken control of my own ship and will live with my own choices, or at least that's my story.

I just hope that you thouroughly understand the procedures you have mentioned. The OP said remove part of a lymph, I think that was only a misstatement, the whole lymph comes out and it is biopsy'd. The OP goes on to say that all lymph's will be removed if the first one comes back cancer free? Yeah, they are ruthless to us smoker's. Pretty incredible the lengths they are willing to go to prove or disprove cancer.

Oh, I forgot, did you get sent to a dentist? They do that to first get the dentist's opinion. They see lots of tumors, and to assess and medically relevent [to surgery] dental needs. 

It does not seem that you have a diagnosis of SCC, like Mat said, it ain't cancer till they prove it is. Welcome, to our lives. Good luck, and keep thinking positive [breathe].