Hi Daisy and thank you for your post.

I am sorry to hear about your situation and appreciate what a difficult time this must be for you and your partner.

Her initial operation showed that cancer had travelled to some of her lymph nodes.  Your partner’s hospital specialist only needs to know that lymph node involvement has occurred, not how many lymph nodes are involved, so another operation is not necessary.

It is standard practice to scan following a cancer diagnosis. This is to discover the stage of the cancer. 

Your partner’s stage may change depending on the results of the CT scan.

The hospital specialist needs to know the grade and stage of the cancer so that they can treat her appropriately.

The treatment pathway your partner will receive depends on the grade and stage of their cancer, as determined by the biopsy and scans.

It's important to get up-to-date scans, despite the fact that no signs of cancer were detected in the mammogram and lung scan your partner had last year.

It can be very frightening and overwhelming to have a loved one diagnosed with cancer. You might find it helpful to read our webpage on coping when family and friends have cancer.

I hope this helps and you know more about your situation soon.

Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Kind regards,

Tina