Good morning,
Two nights ago while blow drying my hair I discovered a huge golf ball or larger size lump in my clavicle area. Is this common for this cancer to travel to clavicle? I go to my ENT Friday and scared because I know that swollen lymph nodes in clavicle aren't good. Would the lymph node be hard? This lymph node is is not hard as a rock but definitely quite large. I'm at wits end. This is the same side that all my throat pain is on also.
Thanks for any help.

It can be many things, a cyst. It's not often the clavicle area is involved in oropharyngeal cancer, but can, and if it is I believe is not a good area like you mentioned being low in the lymph chain, and might be level V. I tried looking through your posts, and can't see your name, info, but that area can also involve other type of cancers, breast for example. HNC lymphs drain down, others type cancers can drain upward. Lymph nodes can be hard or soft. When small they can be soft, and when they attach to other structures, can be hard. I know how waiting is, but that's what has to be done, and deal with whatever it is, and hopefully something minor. Good luck.

What is level 5? Stage 5? The lymph node is on the same side as my throat pain. I have had 2 Ct scans, a tonsillectomy with two small biopsies which came back ok. I can't believe this is happening, but I didn't see anyone who had clavicle swelling on any of these sites. Wow. I'm so scared, because I have always known this isn't a good place for swelling.

There is no such thing as Stage 5 with cancer. The rating is Stage I thru IV.

The lump could be anything. Go to your family doctor to get checked.

I have an app. at the ENT Friday.

Level V is the area of lymph nodes in the cervical neck. There are VII levels, level I though VII in the lymph chain in the cervical neck, with over 300 lymph nodes, mostly microscopic, and each area certain H&N cancers travel to first, and can be a clue where the primary is at diagnosis. For example, oropharynx cancer usually goes to level II first, Oral cancer to level I, but there can be skip metastases, and further involvement. The further down the chain cancer goes, can be more difficult to treat.

Stage IV cancer also has, a, b and c depending the number of lymph nodes, size, and involvement to distant area, and other structures.

Level IV aso has dares close to the collar bone.

They can do a FNAB, under ultrasound guidance, to see if its cancerous or not, and other pathology.

Good luck.

I have an app. at the ENT Friday. I'm sorry, I see you were talking about the lymph nodes being level 5. Sorry.

Good luck Friday! Hope the ENT will finally get to the bottom of your issues.

Thanks everyone. I have been very scared and now I'm petrified. I just hoped this HUGE thing would be gone this morning, but no such luck. Hope everyone is doing well.

I dont know your age but I have the suspicion you are a younger member. My son who is now 24 occasionally has one of his lymph nodes swell so it shows a large lump along his jawline. This first began when he was only about 17 and has happened about 3 times. After everything I went thru I was very concerned he had something seriously wrong. Turns out it was nothing more than a swollen node which can happen to any person at any time. Being the location it looked huge. I hope this will help to reassure you that it really will be ok.

Please try to focus on more positive things and stay very busy. Keeping your mind off the issue will help you feel better. Read a detailed book or do an activity you enjoy, anything that requires lots of concentration. By constantly focusing on your ailments they will always appear to be so much worse than it really is.

Maybe think of it this way.... whats the worst thing that could happen? Having cancer? Even if you would have cancer its not the end of the world. You can still get treated and go on to have a great life. So maybe if you consider that into the mix and understand being a cancer patient is the worst scenario and that it is NOT the end of the world it will help you to not be so afraid. The odds of it being OC are low, especially if you are young and otherwise healthy. I know you have several symptoms but gosh, if you look hard enough those medical sites could diagnose you with bubonic plague. I know you are afraid but you need to pull yourself together and see the big picture. By focusing on this so much you are causing severe stress on your body and that in itself is enough to make someone ill.

Hang in there and try to limit how much time you devote to worrying. It wont ever change a diagnosis or do anything positive for you. I dont mean to sound harsh at all or cruel or to give the impression I dont understand your situation. I do understand you all too well and my concern is its not healthy to spend so much time being scared and stressed. I am sympathetic to everything you are going thru. I feel terrible about how you have seen so many doctors and had so many tests done and still no concrete diagnosis to all your issues. I will even assist you thru all of this if you would like my help one on one, PM me. Good luck with the ENT!

Christine,
I'm 44, and I appreciate your response. The lymph node is in the supraclavicular area and is actually larger than a golf ball. To my understanding this is never good at least at my age. The lymph node is on the same side as my tongue and throat pain which would is definitely a concern. Until this point, I had no confirmed lymph node swelling by any test. This is quite worrisome and trying not to think about it, haven't googled but did talk to my GP who is very concerned. I sent a pic to him and his first response was "wow." It is what it is but we all know this is one of the worst areas for lymph node swelling especially that large.
Thanks for your comment and keep me in your thoughts

"P"

Try to relax and not get overly stressed! You have a right to be concerned. That is really big for a lymph node to be. I would be concerned about that if it were me too.

I actually had thought you were much younger, probably in your 20s/early 30s. Maybe its just me being a mother, thinking you were around my son's age (24).

I really hope this enlarged node is nothing serious. Wish I had a magic wand to make all this just disappear.

"P",

I'm glad you will be seeing a doctor tomorrow. Best wishes for you to get to the bottom of this and hoping it is nothing to be concerned about.

Is the level 5 lymph nodes normally would tongue cancer would show it's ugly head? I just haven't seen that in any of my reading. Just curious.

Yes. Cancer can go anywhere. I even had metatastic cancer in the neck muscle, and dermal layer of the skin in level III, which could have come from anywhere, and had it in level V. First was level II, then III, V, and It usually works down the chain. Mine is out of the Lymph chain now, and had cancer, not in the nodes, roaming about in level III, V, and those area lymph nodes were removed in my radical neck dissection, levels II-V.

What kind of oral cancer did you have? I can't understand your signature.

I couldn't fit Tonsil or oropharyngeal cancer, and exceeded my space allotment for my signature, thats why it's condensed, and left out stuff. My PET/CT originally showed base of tongue, Valleculla, addition to the left tonsil, but the direct biopsy was negative in those two areas, but it still makes you wonder, but I was treated as if it was all mentioned, plus the right lymph node that showed activity.

Tongue cancer generally has a path it takes but it doesn't always follow that route. Hopefully you just have an infection of some sort... Best to have it checked though... Hugs.

PaulB, what where your symptoms when you had your first PET/CT? Yea. It certainly makes you wonder. I'm not real happy with the medical world right now.

It was a swollen lymph node in the left neck, which I was monitoring lol, for three or four months. Then I had an abscess on my face, probably from shaving, breakdown of the immune system, and required surgery removal, and pointed out the swollen node at that time to the hospital, which was attributed to the infection, but it evidentially was not when checked a month later by FNAB, CT by the ENT. I guess sometimes they should look outside the box, and there can be co-infections, diseases, illnesses, not just the obvious one.