cervical nodes, thyroid nodules and painful abdominal nodes

[cancersucks2]

I was diagnosed with breast cancer last Feb. I now have swollen clavicular nodes on the RIGHT, tender abdominal nodes on the RIGHT and "small solid"nodes on my RIGHT thyroid with "punctate calcification, doppler flow" according to the US report.  There are also 2 nodes in my right lung, two of which have appeared in the last year. None of the nodes are 'enlarged' by CT criteria, but they are palpable and the abdominal feel warm and bruised.

Is it coincidence that this is all on the right side?  Does is sound alot like lymphoma or metastis ? I have an appt with the endo Tuesday but I am really scared.

[cancersucks2]

I meant 3 nodes in lung... the first on showed up as calcified granuloma, but the last ct reads 3 non calcified... and the first one is the same size.

Please tell me how this looks.....i have a bad feeling.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  I can understand your anxiety over the whole situation.  I need to know certain additional information about you and your condition so I can answer your question more accurately.  How old are you? What kind of treatment have you undergone or are undergoing for the breast cancer?  Did the doctor tell you what stage your breast cancer is in?

Offhand, there's really no way of knowing for sure whether those clavicular and abdominal nodes you've mentioned are signs of metastatic disease, unless these are biopsied.  As for the thyroid nodules, it might be best to have them examined by the enodcrinologist, but it is not unusual for the thyroid glad to have some calcifications.

[cancersucks2]

Thank you for your reply.  I am 39, stage 1 or 2 (?), tumor was very small, estrogen +, genetic -, and i was told I had a very small chance for re-occurence. I also read I had a very small chance of getting breast cancer so stats mean alot less to me these days!
I had 6 wks radiation, no chemo, and have been on tamoxifen since 6/07.  

I just wonder if this might be the beginning of something.

I see the endo on Tuesday.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  Your breast cancer seems to be at an early stage to have come back too soon, particularly since you seem to have been treated properly.  So maybe those swollen nodes are not a sign of breast cancer recurrence, but as I've said, the only way to know for sure is to have those nodes biopsied.  If you don't have any other symptoms (example: fever, unexplained weight loss, pallor) which point to a possible recurrence, it may be reasonable to observe them for a couple of months instead of going for an immediate biopsy.

As for your thyroid condition, I'll wait for the endo's assessment before commenting further. Just keep me posted. Good luck.