CancerCompass message board discussion started by susan27 on 3/22/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,22259,0.htm Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ I was diagnosed with cancer of unknown primary.  I had 2 cancerous lymph nodes (out of the 47 removed) under my arm.  The oncologist believes that the cancer came from the breast although there is no tumor in the breast.  The oncologist would like me to have a mastectomy after my scheduled chemotherapy but I am apprehensive.  My surgeon said that the chemo will kill any remaining cancer in my body.  The only advantage I see to the mastectomy is that the cancer cannot return to the breast although it can still return to other parts of my body.  Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what did you do? susan27 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi thereIn sept 07 my father was diagnosed with cancer because of a large tumor on his arm. They ran a battery of tests, CT /PET, bloodwork, MRI's, biopsys, and could not find the primary. Over the course of two months we were told that it was lung, then colon, then finally after an endoscopy the found the primary tumor (that hid so well from everything else) in his esophagus. We were told the good news is they found it and the bad news was they found it. But if I were you I would definalty look into a second opinion. Not because you doctor may be wrong but because you have nothing to loose. They are talking about a big surgery and it is always good to go into something like tha feeling confindent in what you are doing.I hope that everything works out and that hopefully you can get some answers.catherine cmullen Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT  Did your father have any symptoms to indicate there was something in his esophagus? susan27 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Not a single thing, he was scheduled to run a 10km road race two weeks after being diagnosed. His elbow starting hurting in Feb.07 but he thought that it was from an ice climbing trip he went on. Slowly it started looking swollen he finally went to the doctor in August. Nothing indicated it was in the esophagus or any where else for that matter. Every test he did came back normal. He did suffer from chronic heartburn, which the doctor says probably caused the cancer. It is rare but I have read that some primary cancers can actually disapper or destroy itself.  cmullen Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT