newbie questions

Andy.h
Andy.h Member Posts: 18
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

I've been recently diagnosed with HPV SCC. I first noticed the lump in May and after tests and specialists I recieved the diagnosis about 3 weeks ago.  I'm starting to get over the overwhelming hump with good info and great forums like this.  

One question I had is my mass has gone up and down twice.  Right now it is the smallest it has ever been before I initially noticed it.  Is this consistent with anyone else experience?

Comments

  • soonermom
    soonermom Member Posts: 155
    #2
    Yes!

    That happened to my husband during treatment actually.  

  • Andy.h
    Andy.h Member Posts: 18
    #3
    soonermom said:

    Yes!

    That happened to my husband during treatment actually.  

    Did the oncologist claim this was the result of treatment?  That is, the treatment is working right?

  • soonermom
    soonermom Member Posts: 155
    #4
    Andy.h said:

    Did the oncologist claim this was the result of treatment?  That is, the treatment is working right?

    Uh No

    They never, ever claimed they had any knowledge about the efficacy of the treatment while it was in process.  We were very concerned about the node enlarging in the middle of treatment.  It decreased in size for the first 3 weeks, then increased greatly, then began ot decrease again. At the end of treatment he still had a visible, residual node which was not what we were hoping for course.  All they told us was that this does happen sometimes and it can have several causes.  They assured us that it was critical to stay the course and complete treatment.  There is some emerging information that seems to indicate that HPV positive tumors may involute differently than non HPV tumors.  He just had his 12 week post-treatment PET and it showed a positive response to treatment, for which we were very grateful.  The current scan indicates that the node in question appears necrotic.  We are on a 3 month surveillance plan with the surgeon.  No surgery or treatment recommended.  He did rad/chemo.  We were very worried about what the node and its changes/lack of changes might mean about his long-term outcome.  We are still early in the recovery process but so far it has been positive news.  Take courage and be strong.  

  • welding2
    welding2 Member Posts: 6
    #5
    Did you start treatment?

    My husband first noticed a node going up and down three years ago.  They did a biopsy but they only received a small amount of tissue.  They diagnosed him with Lymphoma.  He received treatment for that and then the node enlarged again.  Another, better biopsy came back scc.  We are not sure if does or ever did have lymphoma or if it was scc all along.

  • jpmsd
    jpmsd Member Posts: 14
    #6
    My primary tumor was a

    My primary tumor was a neuroendocrine carcinoma of the nasalpharanyx that spread to neck nodes. During the first week of induction chemo I could breathe nasally again and my neck nodes that were the size of walnuts had vanished in 4 days. 4 days later they were back and bigger than before. 

    We switched the secondary chemo to etopicide and afterwards just steady decrease in size over the rest of the course of chemo and radiation. I'm now 2-3 months post treatment waiting for my scans. 2 of the 3 neck nodes are gone, one is small. I would say after the first couple treatments nothing grew, just got smaller. Hoping we got it all, if not they start cutting!

    I think its fairly normal for them to shrink/grow during the initial treatment phases.

     

  • Andy.h
    Andy.h Member Posts: 18
    #7

    thanks for the responses, and sorry if I wasn't clear, but my question is prior to any treatment.  I haven't started any.  It continues to be quite small almost barely visible.  Just wondering if this was normal to anyone?  Maybe I'm wishful thinking, but wondering if maybe my body is healing itself?

  • armana
    armana Member Posts: 97 Member
    #8
    My Experience

    The lump in my neck increased in size the 1st 3 weeks of treatment but then started to get smaller. The node was 1/2

    the original size by the time I finished 6 1/2 weeks of radiation and totally disapeared 2 months post treatment. I

    have been cancer free the past 2 1/2 years.

     

  • AnotherSurvivor
    AnotherSurvivor Member Posts: 383 Member
    #9
    Tho it does not apply since

    Tho it does not apply since you are not yet in treatment, one of the major purposes of chemo is to distress the tumor cells so they multiply more quickly - it is easier to kill a dividing cell.  Nodes swell for a variety of reasons, right now tho you may not notice it, your body is reacting to the cancer.  

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