Hi~

I have a very small lump in a lymph node on the side of my neck (1 cm). I went to my primary physician who was very concerned and felt it should be looked at right away by an ENT.

I assumed it was related to the thyroid problems I had been having the past few months, however, the ENT spent a lot of time looking down my throat.

He put me on antibiotics for a week to see if that would change the node - but it did not.

I also did an MRI which should several nodes 7mm and under and then the one node at 1cm. It did not find anything else abnormal in the mouth/naso areas. The node that is 1 cm receives its drainages (don't know if I'm wording that correctly) from the tongue, soft palate and the throat. Besides that fact, the reason why I am suddenly concerned about an oral cancer is because I have had this recurring "pimple" (that's what it feels like with my tongue) in my mouth where the hard and soft palate come together. I have given it only brief thought in the past six months because I thought it was odd to have this thing come and go in the same spot all of the sudden. I wasn't worried about it though. Now I wonder if that could be a problem.

My question is this - does there have to be a lump of something that the MRI could pick up - or could oral cancer be this discreet?

I had breast cancer 9 years ago at the age of 28. I had a bilateral mastectomy and chemo. I have to say, it was nothing compared to what I have read here - you people are amazing!

I would greatly appreciate any feedback - I am going in and out of panic mode.

Thanks!

Hi Wendy,

While I am no expert and Ill let more experienced users comment after myself, the key is that you saw the ENT and he found nothing, nor did the MRI. That is actually really really good news.

What I would recommend doing on your next visit (and this may already be his plan anyway) is to have the node biopsied if this hasnt already been done. This would give a more definitive diagnosis as to what is inside the node itself and could point to any other areas of concern.

I wish you the best of luck!
Ian.

First off, you have to allow 2 weeks for response to antibiotics, not one. If there is no response then you need to go to the next level -i.e. a biopsy.

MRI's can detect tumors larger than 2 mm as a general rule. Of course this also depends on the skill and experience of the reading radiologist.

Lymph nodes will swell up when there is an infection - that's their job.

Are you being seen at a comprehensive cancer center?

Wen...

What part of California are you in?

If you are anywhere NEAR San Francisco, go to the UCSF walk-in FNA clinic.

It is at 1700 Divisidero St.

Get your Dr to write a Rx asking for an FNA of the largest node that you can feel.

They will examine the results right there under a microscope and tell you what they are thinking.

Since I am not a medical professional, the advice is just a layman's suggestion.

My needle biopsy came back positive last week, but the type of cancer unknown.
After ultrasounds, pet/ct fusion scan, bone scan - they saw a small spot (1 cm) on my right lung (and a couple 3mm spots they say could be on any healthy person.) The spot on the lung had a SUV rate of 2.4 which is very low.
The lymph nodes in my neck didn't really show up as unusual- the Dr who analyzes the scans was surprised I already had a positive diagnosis.

I had surgery yesterday to take out the lump in my neck lymph node and other exploratory little biopsies in my mouth and throat to try to determine the source. At this time they are speculating a breast cancer recurrence but I won't know until at least this friday. They took out my left tonsil to check that out too.

Wen,

I am so sorry to hear your sad news. I will keep you in my prayers.

Barb

Wen, hang in there, you've been down this road before and you know how to keep your chin up. Amy

HI Wen, I'll pray for you too.
Cathy

Hi Wen, I am praying for you and thinking about you...Love, Carol

Hello Wen,

You beat this once before and it's time to beat it again. Sounds like they found this at an early stage. Hoping you respond well to treatment. Please keep us posted as many of us will be pulling for you.

Danny Boy