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CarylC
CarylC Member Posts: 230
edited June 2014 in Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis

I had a really bad backache, went for MRI - they found an incidental mass and sent me for an abdominal cat scan.  The CT scan found "a central 2.1 c low attenuation focus suspicious for an enlarged necrotic portacaval lymph node."

I can't really find anything on the web.  Anyone heard of this?  I'm wondering would this really be mets or could it be left from the original cancer diagnosis?  I never had a pet scan, my oncologist did not believe in "chasing cancer" and said chemo would take care of.  That obviously didn't happen as I just finished round 5 of 6 of THC.  

Will see the surgeon next week and probably have a biopsy next. 

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  • kathleen1966
    kathleen1966 Member Posts: 793
    edited July 2011

    This would be a very unusual lymph node to be enlarged in terms of breast cancer, as it is located behind the pancreas and liver area?  I would ask for a PET scan. I think the doctors should have explained this more to you.  What are they saying?  Again, I would ask for the PET scan.  I think it is standard procedure to have one either  before or after treatment.  Good luck!  I hope someone else here chimes in with better information for you!

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  • CarylC
    CarylC Member Posts: 230
    edited July 2011

    The doctor seemed very surprised and said "sometimes cancer acts badly even in spite of treatment."  The cat scan report calls it highly probably metastatic lymph node. . . or some such thing.  I'm really hoping it was there all along and we just never knew it.  I think that's better than it spreading, isn't it?  I'm really not very knowledgeable about all of this, would a met to a lymph node change my staging or not?  

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  • redskies
    redskies Member Posts: 99
    edited July 2011

    Dear CarylC,

    I have had lymph node mets for about 1 1/2 years, including periportal (around the vein leading into the liver,) retroperitoneal (back of abdomen behind the intestines) and also around the inferior vena cava (the major vein that descends from the heart to the lower body.)

    After my bmx, I was diagnosed as stage 4 based on the level of lymph node involvement (I think the node was either around or above my collarbone.)

    I guess a PET would indicate how metabolically active it is, but I have always received CTs and MRIs... I think the CTs are considered good at picking up anatomical detail.

    Good luck and best wishes, fingers crossed- I hope the biopsy is benign!

    Lynne

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