Can radiation treatment on the leg make the hair on your head fall out?

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I have a rare muscle cancer called Leiomyosarcoma. I am fortunate in that it was in one small area and had not spread. I had it in 2008, and it was successfully removed surgically then, and it returned in the exact same spot this year, and was again successfully removed. Though there is no more cancer, my oncologist from Stanford Cancer Center in California wishes to treat the one small area with radiation as a preventative measure of the cancer returning there. She wants me to have radiation daily for 6 weeks. The area in question is on the back of my right thigh, just above the bend of my knee, and is a small area. The radiation will be targeted directly to this area and nowhere else. I wondered if the hair on my head will fall out or thin. Thank you in advance for any responses.
You might lose the hair where you're getting radiated (either forever or for a little while) but the hair on your head is safe and sound.  (+ info)

24M, black tarry stool,abdominal pain extending to the back?

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Hi - so 1st - I have gotten a colonoscopy and an upper EGD (stomach) all looks well except some inflammation of the stomach. Symptoms - abdominal pain to the left and just beneath the navel extending to the back. Black tarry stool - maybe once or twice a week - followed by nausea and vomiting (taste like stomach acid, sometimes black) for about a day. fam history: leiomyosarcoma, diabetes. Personal history rhabdomyolysis - night sweats. I have a CT scan scheduled next for my small intestine. Any thoughts, or direction would be appreciated.
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Lump in throat, what could it be?

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I’m a twenty six year old female. I have always had allergies which bring on sinus problems. I try to maintain them with meds (Zyrtec D and Flonase daily). Whenever I get a sinus infection it is usually accompanied by ear pain and pressure in my left ear only. Sometimes there is an infection present or fluid build-up, but just as often there are no signs of what could be causing the pain and pressure.

2-3 months ago, I started having pretty persistent sinus infections (every 2-3 weeks) that didn’t seem to be brought on by any allergy symptoms. I had a severe stabbing pain in my left ear with fluid build up. My doctor would put me on antibiotics and the symptoms would improve, but never completely go away and then would return in a few weeks.

Two weeks ago the sinus and ear symptoms started again and a few days later I noticed a fleshy, hard, fixed lump (less than 1 cm in diameter) on the very back of my throat (pharyngeal wall). I went to my PCP , who said it was “nothing” and gave me 10 day course of antibiotics. I’ve been on the antibiotics for 9 days with only slight relief and the lump is still there. I called and she said there is no reason for me to see an ENT and to "wait it out."

Here are my symptoms:
-lump in throat
-persistent sinus issues
-intense ear pain/pressure, ear popping (left ear only)
-dizziness
-headaches
-blood streaked mucus (worse in the morning)
-voice hoarseness
-unintentional weight loss (15 lbs in 2-3 months)
-blurry vision, flashes
-extremely fatigued
-horrible breath/rotten taste in my mouth mainly coming from left side

Also, I am in a Li-Fraumeni family. My brother, my mom, all of her siblings, my grandfather, some of my cousins, and my cousin’s children had rare cancers (sometimes multiple cancers) at very young ages. Most notably my mom had a Chondrosarcoma (bone cancer) in her mouth at 34 and my uncle had a Leiomyosarcoma (a rare soft muscle tissue cancer) in his arm that started out as a small painless lump that doctors said was “nothing”. I have not been tested for the genetic mutation, but I feel as though this should at least considered by doctors treating me.

I saw an Internal MD with a specialty in genetics this week. She basically said the lump was nothing and didn’t acknowledge or try to explain any of the other symptoms. She said she will not run any kind of diagnostic tests on the lump until I test positive for the Li-Fraumeni mutation. I’m not comfortable with having the test before I acquire life insurance.

In order to get an MRI or CT, I have to get life insurance (which will probably require a physical), wait to have my blood drawn, wait for the results, wait to get an appointment with the Internal MD, then wait for a scan…

At this point, I’m desperate. Every doctor I go to says that people my age don’t get cancer even if they know about the mutation and my family history, yet they can’t explain my symptoms and don’t want to run any tests. I have an appointment with an ENT late next week but I’m not hopeful.

It’s not as simple as “go to a new doctor” because I’m limited by my insurance from switching PCPs more than once in one month.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
It's very much not my Adam's apple. It's on the back wall of my throat, the wall behind the uvula.
Well my dear, since you mentioned being comfortable I'd like to say that I'M not comfortable saying it is nothing. Now, what is it? I don't know. If I could physically examine you, we might have some where to start. One thing I would like you to do is push down on the right side of your throat with moderate pressure and see if you can swallow. If you cannot, a trip to the endocrinologist to assess your thyroid will be in order. I'm not so sure that the cause is infectious, so much as it may be something completely unrelated to an infection.

A quality ENT "should" be able to thoroughly assess your symptoms and tell you a little more about what is going on here. I was always taught if it looks suspicious, and its in an area that is easily biopsied, BIOPSY it! It may be nothing more than you have a fluid filled cyst which can be easily removed by inserting a needle and doing an aspiration. They would then send a sample of the fluids that they remove to the lab for the pathologist to look and can exclude a cancerous origin.

If I could be of further help, please, e-mail me.  (+ info)

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