Metastasis under jaw line - any similar experiences?

JJ_2011

Hi All,

I am trying to be a bit more active in this forum to not only support others but continue to voice some ongoing concerns in my own health.

Recently I noticed a small hard lump under my left jaw line. It is not on the surface but rather in the hollow inside the jaw (think if you pushed your thumbs up under your jaw line) and can only be felt when I lean my head to the left. Its moveable, hard, and painless. feels like less than 1cm.

I had two doctors this week give two different opinions. First doctor (oncologist) said it was a saliva gland - sometimes they can be hard?!?!. The second doctor (endo) said that saliva glands don't exist in that exact region and are typically soft tissue...he scanned with the ultrasound and couldn't get any good reads and consequently is sending me back to the ENT and possible MRI again.

Anyone else travel down this path? parotid tumor?, submandibular salivary gland? salivary calculus?

Personal History:
Papillary Thyroid
Right side only
hemi removal back in 3/2011

Questions:
Could it possibly metastasis to that specific area in less than 12 months? It bought it would hit the lymphs first?
anyone else felt any other similar hard nodulars?

KTeacher

Bump in the road
I didn't make it a year past my first cancer. I had a lump removed from my lip Aug. 2010, radiation followed. In June I felt a bump on my neck, under jawline. Back and forth to Stanford most of the summer. PET did not show anything (didn't the first time either). Ultrasound guided needle biopsy showed mets. Neck dissection July, only one lymph node had cancer. More radiation, I am well done! I told my doctors that I am finished with this cancer stuff. Hopefully yours is just an inflammation, keep on the doctors for testing. Mine was extremely rare, both times.

longtermsurvivor

unfortunately anything is possible
You have about a million accessory salivary glands, not just the common named ones. So a complete blockage or a stone is always possible. Then there are lymphatics. Soooo, as has already been suggested, a workup, including possibly a bx is going to be needed. And while it's fine to do all these studies, they won't likely be definitive, and a tissue sample will almost certainly be needed.

Best regards

Hondo

Hi JJ

After treatment there are a lot of things that can swell and make you thing your cancer is back. There are a few others on this site that had lumps form under there tongue thinking maybe there C was back only to find it was just scar tissue But to be safe I agree with doing the MRI to be positive there is nothing going on in that area.

Wishing you well on the MRI and welcome to CSN my friend
Hondo

Skiffin16

FNAB - Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy
I don't understand why they just don't do a FNAB and resolve the issue rather than having you worry, and spent a lot of time and money on scans.

Just my opinion... I don't really think any of the scans can definitive tell you that it's cancer...even if it picks up the lump you feel.

Anyways, hoping you find out something soon.

Best,
John

jtl

JJ
I had what sounds like almost the identical thing only on the right side. It was what I thought was a small hard lump way up under the jaw line. My primary care doc thought it might be a saliva gland and had me go for an ultra sounds which was a waste of time. I went to an Onc and he said it was definately a lymph node, ordered a CAT and suggested removal rather than a needle biopsy. It turn out to be cancerous node of about 2.5 cm and the primary in the throat was found with a PET. The primary was very small compared to the lymph node. I never had a pain so I was lucky that I just happened to be messing with my upper neck while on the phone one day. The node was so far under the jaw line I had to put the docs finger on it to feel it. I doubt that it would have ever been found at that size during a routine physical.
Best of Luck
John2

sweetblood22

JJ
Sounds exactly what I found under my left side jaw on 10/9/08. I didn't go to the doc right away because I thought it was just a swollen lymph node. I went in mid to late November. FNAB in December showed SCC. I had neck dissection in January 'o9 SCC Stage 4 unknown primary, they took my left salivary gland and 23 lymph nodes, 3 were positive.

mixleader

Jaw Line
I almost did not reply to this because my case is very scary, but also very rare. So, I found a lump along my right jawline that my doctor thought to be an inflamed lymph node. It did not go away after antibiotics, so I got an ultrasound guided fine needle biopsy done and it turned out to be malignant and very rare. I was told at the time that it was very aggressive, but I figured it was a young cancer and it should be treatable. I had surgery to remove the right parotid salivary gland and three lymph nodes and part of my facial nerve. The surgeon said he got clean margins but radiation was recommended so I did 30 rad treatments. About four months later, during a routine exam, my ENT found a lump about an inch from the original site that he thought suspicious. He surgically removed it and it turned out to be the same cancer. Then, a couple of months later, a sore opened up on my jawline that would not heal so that was biopsied and it also was the same type of cancer. The worst thing, however, was the PET scan in July that showed mets to my lungs and spine. So, my prognosis is very poor, but keep in mind that mine was a very unusual case with a highly aggressive type of cancer. I am told that there are no clinical trials going on anywhere for this particular cancer, so I am currently being treated with a type of chemo. I was just scanned this week and my meeting with my chemo onc is due this coming Monday. I wish you luck on your journey and remember that my case is extremely rare.

Roger

Marie88a

mixleader said:

Jaw Line
I almost did not reply to this because my case is very scary, but also very rare. So, I found a lump along my right jawline that my doctor thought to be an inflamed lymph node. It did not go away after antibiotics, so I got an ultrasound guided fine needle biopsy done and it turned out to be malignant and very rare. I was told at the time that it was very aggressive, but I figured it was a young cancer and it should be treatable. I had surgery to remove the right parotid salivary gland and three lymph nodes and part of my facial nerve. The surgeon said he got clean margins but radiation was recommended so I did 30 rad treatments. About four months later, during a routine exam, my ENT found a lump about an inch from the original site that he thought suspicious. He surgically removed it and it turned out to be the same cancer. Then, a couple of months later, a sore opened up on my jawline that would not heal so that was biopsied and it also was the same type of cancer. The worst thing, however, was the PET scan in July that showed mets to my lungs and spine. So, my prognosis is very poor, but keep in mind that mine was a very unusual case with a highly aggressive type of cancer. I am told that there are no clinical trials going on anywhere for this particular cancer, so I am currently being treated with a type of chemo. I was just scanned this week and my meeting with my chemo onc is due this coming Monday. I wish you luck on your journey and remember that my case is extremely rare.

Roger

Lump

I have recently found multiple lumps along my jaw line both left and right. Some larger than others. I noticed them while turning my head one day. They roll off my jaw bone. There between the size of peas and small grapes. I was having some jaw pain on one side and thought maybe I had an infection and my doctor put me on an antibiotic. I have had no change and actually have noticed more since treatment. I'm 24 and lost my mother when she was only 35 from lung cancer. She was diagnosed in June and passed in January. It was really aggressive and I worry about what this could be. Any answers?

Eddie J

biopsy

Get one asap its the only sure thing to determine what is going on dont wait.

debbiejeanne

Marie88a said:

Lump

I have recently found multiple lumps along my jaw line both left and right. Some larger than others. I noticed them while turning my head one day. They roll off my jaw bone. There between the size of peas and small grapes. I was having some jaw pain on one side and thought maybe I had an infection and my doctor put me on an antibiotic. I have had no change and actually have noticed more since treatment. I'm 24 and lost my mother when she was only 35 from lung cancer. She was diagnosed in June and passed in January. It was really aggressive and I worry about what this could be. Any answers?

marine, since the antibiotics

marine, since the antibiotics didn't work i'd follow up with the doc.  don't let it go.  it is something  that should definitley be looked into further.  stay on the doc until he does something, be it a biopsy or ct scan.  i dont mean to scare you but it's never good to have a lump.  i will be praying for you.  please keep us posted to let us know what gets done and what they find (or don't find).

God bless,

debbiejeanne

 

kath202000

sweetblood22 said:

JJ
Sounds exactly what I found under my left side jaw on 10/9/08. I didn't go to the doc right away because I thought it was just a swollen lymph node. I went in mid to late November. FNAB in December showed SCC. I had neck dissection in January 'o9 SCC Stage 4 unknown primary, they took my left salivary gland and 23 lymph nodes, 3 were positive.

Lumps on left neck SCC

Wow I finally found someone with the same type of cancer I have! I was diagnosed March 2002 with SCC. I found a lump on the left side of my throat it looked like a mas adams apple! Went to my MD- he said he thought it to be a cyst. He sent me to a surgeon, he looked at it and said that was no cyst! I was on antibiotics but they didn't do anything. A needle asperation was done Positive for SCC. That doctor sent me to an ENT Oncologist. March 2002 I was diagnosed, April 2002 had a radical left neck dissection and removal of the left tonsil. The doctor thought the left tonsil was the origin but it tested negative. So it is an unknown source. After surgery I had 30 treatments of 180 rads a day. I went in for all of my check-ups for 8 years I was clear of any lumps. (September 2010) Then I find another lump just under my left jaw. The ENT spotted or I should say felt a lump on the back of my tongue. He removed a piece of it to have biopsied. It was positive for SCC. He had hurt his back so he was unable to do the surgery so he sent me to UC Davis in Sacramento, Ca. To make a longer story short since 2010 to present I have been in and out of the hospital for surgerys. It keeps coming back. They say the margins are clear but they keep popping up. The radiation doctor does not recomend any radiation treatments due to the damage from 2002. My last PET/CT scan and MRI showed that there is a 7mm lump on my throat. I was told that it is in an area that they can not do surgery without the back-up of radiation and or chemo theropy. Now I am doing the waiting game to have a needle biopsy done.  So until then I guess I will make my decission on what to do or not to do.

Due to all the surgerys I have been through I have a paralized left vocal cord, my left side bottom lip is paralized due to removing the cancer it ruined the nerves in my face. I have to be very careful when I eat because I choke easily. When this all started in 2010 I weighed 118 lbs now I am lucky if I weight 99 lbs! Yes this is a rare type of cancer and it is very aggressive. I have really tried hard to try and stay ahead of it, I am 53 years old and have two children and two granddaughters that I would very much like to see them grow up to be successfull woman.

kath202000

mixleader said:

Jaw Line
I almost did not reply to this because my case is very scary, but also very rare. So, I found a lump along my right jawline that my doctor thought to be an inflamed lymph node. It did not go away after antibiotics, so I got an ultrasound guided fine needle biopsy done and it turned out to be malignant and very rare. I was told at the time that it was very aggressive, but I figured it was a young cancer and it should be treatable. I had surgery to remove the right parotid salivary gland and three lymph nodes and part of my facial nerve. The surgeon said he got clean margins but radiation was recommended so I did 30 rad treatments. About four months later, during a routine exam, my ENT found a lump about an inch from the original site that he thought suspicious. He surgically removed it and it turned out to be the same cancer. Then, a couple of months later, a sore opened up on my jawline that would not heal so that was biopsied and it also was the same type of cancer. The worst thing, however, was the PET scan in July that showed mets to my lungs and spine. So, my prognosis is very poor, but keep in mind that mine was a very unusual case with a highly aggressive type of cancer. I am told that there are no clinical trials going on anywhere for this particular cancer, so I am currently being treated with a type of chemo. I was just scanned this week and my meeting with my chemo onc is due this coming Monday. I wish you luck on your journey and remember that my case is extremely rare.

Roger

SCC

You sound like a ditto of my experience with SCC. Everything is the same accept for the sore on the jawline. My cancer has basically stayed in the same area (left neck) from the top of my ear down to just under my jaw. In 2002 I had surgery and radiation. This time 2010 when I was diagnosed again with the same cancer I have only had the surgery done. My recent PET/CT scan and MRI showed a 7mm spot on my throat. I was told they can not do surgery without the radiation or chemo back-up. I am having a hard time with the idea of my quality of life going to hell, I feel that chemo would just prolong whats going to happen anyway. I don't want to suffer or suffocate in the end. I feel that my case is also rare. If you have any thoughts I am open to hear them!

 

Kathy Greenleaf

kath202000

sweetblood22 said:

JJ
Sounds exactly what I found under my left side jaw on 10/9/08. I didn't go to the doc right away because I thought it was just a swollen lymph node. I went in mid to late November. FNAB in December showed SCC. I had neck dissection in January 'o9 SCC Stage 4 unknown primary, they took my left salivary gland and 23 lymph nodes, 3 were positive.

Lumps on left neck SCC

Wow I finally found someone with the same type of cancer I have! I was diagnosed March 2002 with SCC. I found a lump on the left side of my throat it looked like a mas adams apple! Went to my MD- he said he thought it to be a cyst. He sent me to a surgeon, he looked at it and said that was no cyst! I was on antibiotics but they didn't do anything. A needle asperation was done Positive for SCC. That doctor sent me to an ENT Oncologist. March 2002 I was diagnosed, April 2002 had a radical left neck dissection and removal of the left tonsil. The doctor thought the left tonsil was the origin but it tested negative. So it is an unknown source. After surgery I had 30 treatments of 180 rads a day. I went in for all of my check-ups for 8 years I was clear of any lumps. (September 2010) Then I find another lump just under my left jaw. The ENT spotted or I should say felt a lump on the back of my tongue. He removed a piece of it to have biopsied. It was positive for SCC. He had hurt his back so he was unable to do the surgery so he sent me to UC Davis in Sacramento, Ca. To make a longer story short since 2010 to present I have been in and out of the hospital for surgerys. It keeps coming back. They say the margins are clear but they keep popping up. The radiation doctor does not recomend any radiation treatments due to the damage from 2002. My last PET/CT scan and MRI showed that there is a 7mm lump on my throat. I was told that it is in an area that they can not do surgery without the back-up of radiation and or chemo theropy. Now I am doing the waiting game to have a needle biopsy done.  So until then I guess I will make my decission on what to do or not to do.

Due to all the surgerys I have been through I have a paralized left vocal cord, my left side bottom lip is paralized due to removing the cancer it ruined the nerves in my face. I have to be very careful when I eat because I choke easily. When this all started in 2010 I weighed 118 lbs now I am lucky if I weight 99 lbs! Yes this is a rare type of cancer and it is very aggressive. I have really tried hard to try and stay ahead of it, I am 53 years old and have two children and two granddaughters that I would very much like to see them grow up to be successfull woman.

phrannie51

kath202000 said:

SCC

You sound like a ditto of my experience with SCC. Everything is the same accept for the sore on the jawline. My cancer has basically stayed in the same area (left neck) from the top of my ear down to just under my jaw. In 2002 I had surgery and radiation. This time 2010 when I was diagnosed again with the same cancer I have only had the surgery done. My recent PET/CT scan and MRI showed a 7mm spot on my throat. I was told they can not do surgery without the radiation or chemo back-up. I am having a hard time with the idea of my quality of life going to hell, I feel that chemo would just prolong whats going to happen anyway. I don't want to suffer or suffocate in the end. I feel that my case is also rare. If you have any thoughts I am open to hear them!

 

Kathy Greenleaf

Kathy....

I think if you start a new thread of your own, you will get more responses.....this thread is a year and a half old....and the person who started it hasn't been on here for quite some time.

p

Emljjjkj

Can anyone help me. Yesterday

Can anyone help me. Yesterday I had strange pain in the back of my left jaw around the teeth. This morning I woke up with a ball round lump under my chin above my neck. It's in the center. I'm scared. At first it was like a line that hurt and the muscles felt tight. Then it ended up as a ball. It hurts when I raise or lower my neck. What type of doctor do I see. Do I request anything specific. Thank you if anyone can reply please.

CivilMatt

welcome

Emljjjkj,

Welcome to the H&N forum, you are in ‘no one knows” area of concern.

For me, and for many, many H&N members, there was no pain, just a lump.

You need to see your GP who will get you(if necessary) into see an ENT.  If the problem warrants serious attention the ENT will want a biopsy and the outcome to the biopsy will direct your next move.

We have a well worn phrase around here “it is not cancer until they say it is cancer” and this step is very important.  We do not want anyone to go through this treatment scenario.

I hope you are ok and without cancer.

Good luck,

Matt

Try starting a new thread.

Mommyfresh

Marie88a said:

Lump

I have recently found multiple lumps along my jaw line both left and right. Some larger than others. I noticed them while turning my head one day. They roll off my jaw bone. There between the size of peas and small grapes. I was having some jaw pain on one side and thought maybe I had an infection and my doctor put me on an antibiotic. I have had no change and actually have noticed more since treatment. I'm 24 and lost my mother when she was only 35 from lung cancer. She was diagnosed in June and passed in January. It was really aggressive and I worry about what this could be. Any answers?

I know it’s been a while

I know it’s been a while since you posted this, wanted to know what the outcome was. Please keep us powered if possible. Thanks and god bless 

Msabq323

Having excisional biopsy tomorrow on lump in neck lymph node

Hi, my name is Sandi.  I am 58 yrs old and tomorrow they are doing an excisional biopsy of the lump, non-painful, in my neck, under my jawline.  They did a CT scan mid-March and report states: 2.5 x 1.7 x 2.7 heterogenous complex cystic lesion/lymph node.  So, the diagnosis is SCC nodal metastatic disease.  I just don't think I really have cancer, as I don't feel bad in the least, and that lump has been there for like 5 or 6 years, although it has gotten harder and bigger lately.  They are also going to do a laryrnogoscopy (sp) in my throat and nasal cavity.  The surgeon said he will do a frozen section tomorrow, and I hope I know something tomorrow.  If it is cancer, I am not afraid of what comes next, just curious.