Swollen lymph node

[jack14]

Does anyone know anything about radiating a supraclavicular lymph node to reduce it?

My Oncologist mentioned refering me to a radiologist to see about radiating it. It has been putting pressure on a nerve in my brachail plexus nerve bundle. I am worried about it damaging something like my lung or the nerve. Will it make me sick?

Thanks for any information anyone may have.

[Tom Galli]

Jack,

Hopefully, your referral is for a radiation oncologist, a specialty who treats cancer with radiation.

I believe you will likely receive some form of precision radiation like SBRT or IGRT. This is high dose radiation delivered to very precise areas (the lymph node), and while other areas of your body will receive some radiation, the dose will be delivered in such way to concentrate the radiation on the cancer area. It is very common to have this form of radiation to reduce pain or discomfort. I can't speak to the likelihood of nerve damage but the radiation oncologist can. I'd ask that question.

The treatment should not make you sick. I had three 15-minute SBRT treatments to a tumor in my left lung, one treatment a day for 3 days. After that, the tumor was gone and I've been NED since.

Stay the course.

Tom

[jack14]

Thank you so much Tom. That really helps to relieve some anxiety I have been feeling lately. I am scheduled for a serial CT scan in three weeks to see if the Keytruda is still working. I think I will wait before telling my Oncologist that I want to take her up on that suggestion. I am to meet with her again a couple days after the scan and on the day of my next scheduled infusion.

[jack14]

I have a 9mm primary on my right lung apex, a 1.5 cm supraclavicular lymph node on my left side adjacent to the brachial plexus, and a 1.8 cm left subpectoral node also on the left. No brain or met to any other site. So, why, I wonder, wouldn't they have zapped the three sites in the beginning of this nightmare and saved me the immunotherapy? PS they removed an enlarged axial node on the left side to do the biopsy before they started the immunotherapy last May.

[Tom Galli]

Jack,

I think from your description, you staged at IV. Had you had an early consult with a radiation oncologist (rad onc), you might have asked about multi-focal treatment (3 or more distant mets treated concurrently). Some rad oncs are getting very aggressive going after multiple tumors. 

Lung cancer has a steep learning curve. One gets pretty far down the treatment trail before exposure to precision radiation. That is why this site is so valuable. Our collective experience opens up avenues of discussion about possible new treatments. 

Stay the course. 

Tom