Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

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Nohogirl
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:15 am

Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby Nohogirl » Sun Oct 14, 2018 7:32 pm

Hi all,
Anyone had any iliac lymph node enlargement showing on CT or MRI that ended up being just a reactive lymph node or benign.

Its my first time posting here, although i was following this forum since my husband( 49 years old) was first diagnosed with Rectal Cancer(April 2018). Since then, he had 28 sessions of radiation along with oral Xeloda, in August had surgery to remove his entire rectum(no bag thank God). Recovered well ,except some major bathroom issues.
According to pathology report, was staged as stage 2 (T3N0M0), moderate to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, 0 of 15 lymph nodes, no perineural or lymhovascular invasion identified, clean margins, pre surgery chemo response rate 3( his tumor shrunk from 6 cm to 2.2). Both his surgeon and oncologist were very optimistic and would mention that his chances of being cured is great. We were so happy and excited and could not believe that we almost beat this disease. Got his port placed and was ready for his 5FU until we got his CT scan result early this month which showed indeterminate hepatic lesion and enlarged 9 mm common iliac lymph node. He then got an mRI for better view which showed clean liver but the enlarged iliac lymph node is still there.
Our Oncologist is not sure if its a metastases or just reactive lymph node after surgery and will most likely perform biopsy. He said this is very uncommon and will discuss my husband'ss case during the board meeting to get the opinion of other doctors.

We are in a total shock as we would never expect such drastic turn. I am worried and can't stop crying. We have young kids, girls 8 and 14 and i can't imagine our lives without him or raising them alone..
04/18 DH 49 Stage 2A T3N0M0 rectal cancer moderately differentiated.
05/18 chemorad. (Xeloda) 28 days
08/18 Surgery- 24 cm, including entire rectum out
Path -Stage II T2N0M0 moderate to poorly diff. adenocarcinoma
0 of 15 lymph nodes
No PNI
No LVI
Clear margins
10/18-02/19 8 cycles of Folfox
02/19 Pet Scan. NED
08/19 Pet Scan NED
08/19 Colonoscopy Clear

pantufla
Posts: 148
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 12:44 pm
Facebook Username: kelleykulina

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby pantufla » Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:31 pm

For whatever it's worth, I am continually told that my husband's 13 mm central mesenteric lymph node is nothing.
DH T2 N1b M0. 3/15 positive nodes.
Stage IIIA moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.
Tumor size 6 cm.
Left hemicolectomy 10/26/15.
FOLFOX 11/30/15 to 5/2/16, full 12 cycles.
10/3/16 CT scan clear.
11/10/17 CT: "Focal opacity along the left lower lung, 7 mm. Two small peripheral opacities along the right lower lobe, 2 to 3 mm. A few small to mildly prominent left-sided central mesenteric nodes, up to 13 mm.
June 2019: NED.
2020: NED 5 years. 4 mm lung nodule on CT

Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby Punky44 » Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:39 pm

I’m so sorry you are going through this, too.

We are in a similar situation right now where we had a clean CT but an MRI showed an enlarged internal iliac node. We’re getting a PET scan on Tuesday to see if it “lights up.”

Our situation is slightly different in than our findings is at the time of diagnosis so it affects our treatment/surgery plan.

What did the doctors say would be the plan for dealing with this node should it come back malignant?

Praying for you.
Caregiver to my amazing mom (68 at dx)
10/1/18 DX with rectal cancer; CEA 17
T3N2M0
Total neoadjuvant therapy:
8 rounds Folfox 11/5/18 - 2/11/19
Short course radiation 3/14/19 - 3/20/19
Robotically assisted laparoscopic LAR 3/21/19
Pathology report says yT2N0M0 with 0/38 nodes
6/28/19 Reversal and port out
CEA 2.1; 1.9; 2.6; 2.8; 2.3; 2.4; 3.0; 3.4; 3.1; 3.4; 3.0; 3.1; 2.6
Latest update: 8/21/23 Clear CT with CEA 2.6!

Me: 34, first colonoscopy 11/16/18—normal! Come back in 5 years.

Nohogirl
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:15 am

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby Nohogirl » Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:46 pm

pantufla wrote:For whatever it's worth, I am continually told that my husband's 13 mm central mesenteric lymph node is nothing.

Thanks for the reply. How are they able to determine that its benign. Did they biopsy the node?
04/18 DH 49 Stage 2A T3N0M0 rectal cancer moderately differentiated.
05/18 chemorad. (Xeloda) 28 days
08/18 Surgery- 24 cm, including entire rectum out
Path -Stage II T2N0M0 moderate to poorly diff. adenocarcinoma
0 of 15 lymph nodes
No PNI
No LVI
Clear margins
10/18-02/19 8 cycles of Folfox
02/19 Pet Scan. NED
08/19 Pet Scan NED
08/19 Colonoscopy Clear

Nohogirl
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:15 am

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby Nohogirl » Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:49 pm

Thank you very much Punky44. According to his oncologist his staging will jump from Stage 2 to Stage 4 and he will need Avastin in addition to Folfox.

I am praying its not malignant....
04/18 DH 49 Stage 2A T3N0M0 rectal cancer moderately differentiated.
05/18 chemorad. (Xeloda) 28 days
08/18 Surgery- 24 cm, including entire rectum out
Path -Stage II T2N0M0 moderate to poorly diff. adenocarcinoma
0 of 15 lymph nodes
No PNI
No LVI
Clear margins
10/18-02/19 8 cycles of Folfox
02/19 Pet Scan. NED
08/19 Pet Scan NED
08/19 Colonoscopy Clear

Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby Punky44 » Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:17 am

I will keep praying too!
Caregiver to my amazing mom (68 at dx)
10/1/18 DX with rectal cancer; CEA 17
T3N2M0
Total neoadjuvant therapy:
8 rounds Folfox 11/5/18 - 2/11/19
Short course radiation 3/14/19 - 3/20/19
Robotically assisted laparoscopic LAR 3/21/19
Pathology report says yT2N0M0 with 0/38 nodes
6/28/19 Reversal and port out
CEA 2.1; 1.9; 2.6; 2.8; 2.3; 2.4; 3.0; 3.4; 3.1; 3.4; 3.0; 3.1; 2.6
Latest update: 8/21/23 Clear CT with CEA 2.6!

Me: 34, first colonoscopy 11/16/18—normal! Come back in 5 years.

sbpaq1
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2018 8:09 pm
Facebook Username: Matthew

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby sbpaq1 » Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:35 am

Echoing another in this thread I have an extremely similar situation, last MRI showed a lymph node at 5MM near the common iliac right bifurcation. Looking forward to any replies from the community on this.
Age 30, Male
07/05/18 - Colonoscopy, T3N2M0/Stage IIIB Rectal, MSS and High Grade
09/10/18 - 28 Days Xeloda/Radiation
10/11/18 - MRI decrease in Tumor & Nodes
11/19/18 - lAR
12/06/18 - Bad news, Surgery margins inconclusive, 17 of 19 nodes, PNI & LVI
12/09/18 - Bad news, 2 spots on liver and 1 on Lung, XELOX start
02/15/19 - Good News! Lung spot gone, Liver Spot down to 1, Nodes shrinking.
06/15/19 - bad news! Rectal recurrence and node increase
07/01/19 - folfiri
08/23/19 - surgery consult unc

Nohogirl
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:15 am

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby Nohogirl » Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:40 am

Punky44 wrote:I will keep praying too!

Thank you Punky 44. Prayers for your mom.
Last edited by Nohogirl on Fri Nov 02, 2018 4:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
04/18 DH 49 Stage 2A T3N0M0 rectal cancer moderately differentiated.
05/18 chemorad. (Xeloda) 28 days
08/18 Surgery- 24 cm, including entire rectum out
Path -Stage II T2N0M0 moderate to poorly diff. adenocarcinoma
0 of 15 lymph nodes
No PNI
No LVI
Clear margins
10/18-02/19 8 cycles of Folfox
02/19 Pet Scan. NED
08/19 Pet Scan NED
08/19 Colonoscopy Clear

Deb m
Posts: 558
Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:08 am

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby Deb m » Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:04 am

my husbands lliac nodes were all negative when they did the pathology on them after removal. They all lit up on the Pet scan. His cancer was in his cecum, and when they removed it along with his ascending colon, they removed all those nodes in the lliac chain that lit up on the pet scan at the same time. None of them were cancerous. They surmised that they were enlarged do to infection or something else.

I do hope it's they same with you,

Debbie

Nohogirl
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:15 am

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby Nohogirl » Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:09 am

Deb m wrote:my husbands lliac nodes were all negative when they did the pathology on them after removal. They all lit up on the Pet scan. His cancer was in his cecum, and when they removed it along with his ascending colon, they removed all those nodes in the lliac chain that lit up on the pet scan at the same time. None of them were cancerous. They surmised that they were enlarged do to infection or something else.

I do hope it's they same with you,

Debbie

Oh my God. Thank you. This makes me feel a little better
This also happened with my husband before his surgery his local colonic lymph nodes were showing enlarged on his pre surgery CT but after removal they were all clean
So i want to think that my husband has very sensitive reactive lymph nodes. But you know with cancer, you never know :(
04/18 DH 49 Stage 2A T3N0M0 rectal cancer moderately differentiated.
05/18 chemorad. (Xeloda) 28 days
08/18 Surgery- 24 cm, including entire rectum out
Path -Stage II T2N0M0 moderate to poorly diff. adenocarcinoma
0 of 15 lymph nodes
No PNI
No LVI
Clear margins
10/18-02/19 8 cycles of Folfox
02/19 Pet Scan. NED
08/19 Pet Scan NED
08/19 Colonoscopy Clear

pantufla
Posts: 148
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 12:44 pm
Facebook Username: kelleykulina

Re: Extremely Worried Common Iliac Lymph Node

Postby pantufla » Mon Oct 15, 2018 3:59 pm

Hi Nohogirl.

The doc has not done anything. He says it has been there since the beginning and not to worry about it. DH went to two radiologists for the ct scan due to a change in insurance. One said it was 1.0 cm and the other one said it was 1.3 cm. Doc said he thought it was the same size and not to worry. It still does bother me. He has another scan next month.
DH T2 N1b M0. 3/15 positive nodes.
Stage IIIA moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.
Tumor size 6 cm.
Left hemicolectomy 10/26/15.
FOLFOX 11/30/15 to 5/2/16, full 12 cycles.
10/3/16 CT scan clear.
11/10/17 CT: "Focal opacity along the left lower lung, 7 mm. Two small peripheral opacities along the right lower lobe, 2 to 3 mm. A few small to mildly prominent left-sided central mesenteric nodes, up to 13 mm.
June 2019: NED.
2020: NED 5 years. 4 mm lung nodule on CT


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