Enlarged lymph node

[Fight11]

My husband is on Zytiga and prednisone. I noticed he has an enlarged lymph node in his neck. Does this mean the Zytiga isn’t working?

[LearnAll]

Most common cause of enlarged lymph nodes are infection/inflammation. If lymph node gets enlarged within a few days, is painful when you press on it ..and is swollen and is warm to touch...then it is very likely that it has nothing to do with PCa or Zytiga.

If Zytiga starts to lose effect it will show as rise in PSA.

[Fight11 in reply to LearnAll]

He has nothing going on. He has no cold nothing I’m afraid it could be the cancer

[LearnAll in reply to Fight11]

The way to truly remove your fear of cancer is to check PSA, ALP and MRI...thats the only surefire way to know if its PCa doing it.

[Fight11 in reply to LearnAll]

What is alp

[LearnAll in reply to Fight11]

ALP is Alkaline phosphatase. When medicines stop working, it shows in rise of PSA and ALP . Bone specific ALP is an indicator of treatment failure as it means cancer cells are going and sticking to bones and corroding it. I do not know of a blood test which will specifically tell whether a lymph node is cancerous or not. It can only be known for sure by MRI and/or Biopsy of lymph node.

[Tall_Allen]

Lymph nodes commonly get enlarged in response to infections.

[Fight11 in reply to Tall_Allen]

He has no infection it’s in his neck towards the back

[GoBucks in reply to Fight11]

You don't have to have a cold to have an infection. Online diagnosis can be tough. Relax, see a Doctor and everyone will fell better.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Fight11]

You don't know that he has no infection - it may be otherwise asymptomatic.

[Fight11 in reply to Tall_Allen]

I pray. It’s hard and fixed to his neck. Not palpable

[Tall_Allen in reply to Fight11]

So it may not be a lymph node. It may be a benign fatty tumor. Ask his doctor to take a look.

[Fight11 in reply to Tall_Allen]

He is going tomorrow. Feel is like a lymph gland

[Tall_Allen in reply to Fight11]

You just said it's not palpable.

[Fight11 in reply to Tall_Allen]

It’s not it’s fixed. I had an enlarged lymph node myself under my armpit and the surgeon told me it’s a good sign if they’re palpable if they’re not palpable he told me they could be a sign of cancer That’s what I was told anyway!! Not sure

[ctarleton]

As LearnAll mentioned, if you and the doctor remain concerned about it, your doctor can refer you to a head & neck interventional radiologist or surgeon to have a Biopsy done via fine needle aspiration and/or core sample(s) of the lump. The subsequent Pathology Report will help in confirming whatever it may be, and inform the selection of options for what to do about it.

[Fightinghard]

On back of neck sounds like a lipoma or benign fatty tumor. Almost all are harmless. Surgeon can usually remove it in their office.

Good luck and try not to worry. Very likely not related to cancer

[dadzone43]

It means he had an enlarged lymph node in his neck.

That can come from many things: scalp irritation, bad tooth, viral throat infection. Find out.

[NecessarilySo]

I have had many swollen lymph nodes, in my back, on my skull behind my left ear, and on my neck below my ear, The one on my neck was new, formed about a year ago in November as I recall. Actually it was not swollen, just hurt whenever I turned my head right or left. Now thankfully it is no longer noticeable.

I have had pca since 2008, and mpca since late 2011. I have had hormone treatment four times now. The swollen lymph nodes generally "unswell" and remiss during the Lupron treatments, last one this summer and fall with Lupron with Xtandi. Dozens of lymph nodes have virtually gone from a lightly painful spot to nothing noticeable.

I was on a four year vacation from June 2016 to June 2020, and watched my PSA rise during that period from 0.2 to 35, at which point I again resumed hormone treatment. However, there are other things I have done which I attribute to my success in controlling the "beast". Basically heat, magnetism, and lycopenes. However, it may be best for me not to dwell on the secondary self-treatments unless asked, but for certain, Lycopene or its equivalent Eligard are the key, and Xtandi seems much more effective than Bicalutimide,

So the neck lymph nodes are in the nape of my right neck near the back. In my case MRI with auxmin showed them active. That scan in June also showed a few other "possible" signs of metastises in my back T9 and T2. I also had one on my skull. After four months of treatment with Lupron & Xtandi,, they are all diminished to unnoticeable, and my PSA early October was down to 0.2.

I'm 74 now, and I seem to be controlling the mPca.

[Fight11 in reply to NecessarilySo]

My husband became castrate resistant 18 months after his diagnosis that was his third shot of Lupron . He is still on Lupron as well as Zytiga and prednisone which he has been on for two months. If that doesn’t work the doctor wants to try PARP inhibitor. I’m new to all this I have never heard of that. Do you have any idea what a PARP inhibitor is? The Oncologist wants a CAT scan of the neck and another bone scan to make sure nothing is going on.

[NecessarilySo in reply to Fight11]

Sorry I never heard of PARP inhibitor. Maybe someone else knows. I am still apparently not castrate resistant, as the latest hormone treatment in my case was successful.

[j-o-h-n in reply to NecessarilySo]

Geezamacripe....I just got a sore neck turning my head left and right...Thanks for the tip next tell me how to get my hip to hurt.....👀...Geezamacripe...

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 10/16/2020 6:01 PM DST

[NecessarilySo in reply to j-o-h-n]

A radioologist also confirmed that four lymph nodes were active on my neck from an MRI with auximin.MRI

[Fight11 in reply to NecessarilySo]

What did they do for them

[NecessarilySo in reply to Fight11]

MO prescribed Lupron 90 days, with Xtandi every day 160mg. The pain is gone now after about 100 days. PSA dropped to 0.2. No scans scheduled this year. I applied heat with very hot showers when I feel them also. (Cancer cells die at 106 degrees FYI.)

[Fight11 in reply to NecessarilySo]

I got his psa today so weird his psa dropped two points yet his cancer could be in a lymph node!!! Why would that be?

[NecessarilySo in reply to Fight11]

Prostate cancer cells, wherever they are in the body, emit the PSA, prostate specific antigens. So then even in lymph nodes, which act like traps or filters for larger cells in the blood, would allow them to grow inside and unfortunately they do not die like normal cells, so they cause swelling and pain.

[Fight11 in reply to NecessarilySo]

What do they usually do for enlarged lymph nodes how did they treat them?

[NecessarilySo in reply to Fight11]

So there are a number of things they can do, such as surgical removal of the nodes, or radiation treatment which kills the cancer cells in the nodes. I know little about drugs for CRmPc. But you mentioned something. Also you don't know if it is metastasis or some other cause. Many things could cause a swollen lymph node. Just search it, you will see. If your husband has high PSA then that is a clue. How high? You have not told us. So we need to talk in generalities. But you did say he developed CR after Lupron, which means he has PC and has received hormone treatment, and it was apparently not very successful.

[Fight11 in reply to NecessarilySo]

He has been on Zytiga about two months his psa has dropped 4 points in two months its 15 right now!

[NecessarilySo in reply to Fight11]

Okay that gives me a clearer picture. I had PSA 35 and after two months it dropped to 8. Your husband's is declining slower but it could be because you are taking a different medication or it could be because CR. Every case is different. Every prostate cancer case is different. So mine went down to about a quarter of what it was in two months. Your husband's went down about 1/5 in two months. Different medications are different effects. Be sure to read all the information on Zytiga. It's dangerous with women. I think I read a bit about albiterone once. it can extend life expectancy but I was not very impressed. Your husband should take blood testosterone test. That will show if the medication is lowering testosterone significantly. Mine is now down to <3 with Xtandi. With bicalutamide it did not get below 200. 250 is normal, I think.

[Fight11 in reply to NecessarilySo]

I know about six months ago they checked his testosterone level it was 14

[NecessarilySo in reply to Fight11]

The thing is testosterone fuels growth of prostate cancer cells. The lower the better. 14 is very low. But with CRmPc lower testosterone does not slow or stop cancer cell growth. Hence he must have CRmPc or a bigger proportion than me. Take your time, investigate what slows cancer growth. That's about all you can do other than surgical removal or radiation treatment or hormone treatment. It's a big learning session for us all.

[j-o-h-n in reply to NecessarilySo]

I was just kidding you.... so what does that mean?.... test caused them, if so let me know where you were tested....maybe it would work on my lower neck???

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 10/16/2020 7:26 PM DST

[NecessarilySo in reply to j-o-h-n]

No they were there for months before the MRI (skull to thigh). The lymph nodes seem to trap mets and when they grow big enough they cause mild pain like a strain. One grew about 2 inches in diameter but Lupron and Bicalutimide eliminated it back in 2012 (with intense lycopene diet). Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California did the MRI w/Auxmin. Radiologist report seemed to be a bit unsure, such as "Possibly indicating metastasis". These things are hard to read. But they give a relatively thorough report to the MO. Too many tests can over-radiate you. Once a year I think is the rule maximum.

[Fight11 in reply to NecessarilySo]

So did you have cancer in her lymph nodes?

[j-o-h-n in reply to NecessarilySo]

Hmmmm sorry to hear that.... I get so many scans that I now speak Scandinavian...

I truly hope and pray that your nodes are not the word we hate to use....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 10/16/2020 8:16 PM DST

[Fight11 in reply to j-o-h-n]

Being castrate resistant is a huge game changer for treatment correct?

[NecessarilySo]

I have had since 2012, as judged by rising PSA after radiation treatment in 2008. They seem to come and go with treatments... in "MY" lymph nodes, not "hers". Actually the first was near the site of the biopsy, tailbone and rectum. later they went from one lymph node to another, on my back, about a dozen or so, treatment after treatment, and I still have one in my spine T9 that concerns me. But you know, the Lupron/Xtandi reduces the testosterone to <3, so I think it is fading. Not sure. Could be CRmPc?

[Fight11 in reply to NecessarilySo]

My husband is castrate resistant

[NecessarilySo in reply to Fight11]

Yes, that means low testosterone has less effect, or does not affect all of the cancer cells. So it lowers the PSA some but the CRmPc continues to grow. I think your husband's is more difficult to treat than the normal prostate cancer metastasis. So I don't go there, just wish him well. He might try heat or lycopenes. Lycopenes like in spaghetti sauce are the best in my experience. Hot showers at 110 plus F for a minute may kill some of the cancer cells, if you want to try inexpensive alternatives.

[Fight11]

Do you think there is hope? Do you have any idea what the life expectancy of someone who’s castrate resistant? I asked his oncologist and he won’t even respond

[NecessarilySo in reply to Fight11]

It's impossible to say without looking at the whole picture. Different people react to treatment differently, different medications have different effects, different doctors have different perspectives.