painful slightly swollen right inguinal lymph node

slmhobblet

Hi, I've lurked for awhile but this is my first post. I've been on veliparib for two years + for BRCA that metastasized to bone and liver. It has shrunk liver tumors and largely cleared the bone cancer. For the past couple of months my right groin has been sore. It is definitely getting worse and may be localized to a slightly swollen lymph node. Does breast cancer go these lymph nodes or is this more likely some other infection? I feel fine except for the pain in the groin.

Any ideas on this topic would be appreciated. I have a regular checkup next week, but would like to get some more immediate relief.

Thanks.

Sandy

Moderators

Hi slmhobblet-

We want to welcome you to BCO! We're sorry for the circumstances that have brought you here, but we're glad you've decided to delurk and join the conversation. This is a very knowledgeable and welcoming community, and we're bumping your topic to the top of the active list so it gets some feedback from other members in our stage IV community. Hopefully someone has some insight into what might be causing the swelling and pain, and some ideas on what you can do to find relief!

The Mods

zarovka

Cancer does go to the lymph nodes. I don't read about lymph nodes in the groin with breast cancer a lot, but it could be cancer. Hopefully you are on regular scanning schedule. Mention that swelling to the oncologist so the radiologist knows to look there.

That said, I had pain in my groin lymph nodes and other areas that have a lot of lymph nodes during my second cycle of ibrance. It turned out to be a raging systemic urinary tract infection. 10 days of Cipro later, all the throbbing painful lymph nodes were gone and I haven't had it since. So painful swollen lymph nodes in the groin can be infection. With all these protocols you can be more prone to common infections that you have never had before.

In answer to your question, yes and yes. It can be cancer and it can be infection. My gut is that it is more likely infection, but you need to look for both because either way, it's important to deal with.

>Z<

HelenWNZ

I was diagnosed in May and had a CT scan on 17 May which came back with no distant spread which was a huge relief as prior to the CT scan everything ached and in my head things had even spread to my big toe. So to be told no spread was wonderful. I had my op on 31 May and since then I have still got two of the pains that I had before my scan and one is in my right groin area. I have been walking each day and hope that it is due to me being more energetic that usual. My question would be how fast can things spread. How much detail is picked up in a CT scan.

If this carries on I am seeing the doctor next week so will ask - but just wanted to put it out there to the knowledge base I am finding here too.

Thanks

JFL

Sandy, it is probably an infection but you should definitely rule out cancer. Especially because you are BRCA with increased risk ovarian cancer, which can spread to inguinal lymph nodes. Ruling all the what ifs out will hopefully put you at ease.

As for how quickly things can spread, it varies by person and how aggressive the cancer is. Mine is very aggressive and spreads quickly. I went from stable, small liver mets to an explosion within 3 months where my left lobe was characterized as "nearly entirely metastatic disease", along with numerous large, medium and small tumors in right lobe. On the flip side, my cancer responds to treatment quickly. 3 months after the explosion, on new treatment, liver mets are inactive on PET scan and I have had major shrinkage, with only medium and small tumors now. For other people, their mets are slow growing and spread very slowly, over years perhaps.

Good luck sorting this out. Worrying is never pleasant. One of the hardest parts of Stage 4 - the unknown and ambiguous!