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Axillary lymph node clearance

TedC
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Hi there, I was diagnosed with ER and PR positive invasive ductal carcinoma on 10.5.24. Had lumpectomy very close to my left nipple on 13.6.24 as well as sentinel node removal.

Results today could not have been worse. Sentinel node is positive for cancer. More cancerous cells were found under nipple. Lump on removal was 2.2cm and grade 2.

A mastectomy or lateral excision required (my choice) on 25.7.24 as well as all lymph nodes removed. 6 months of chemo and 5 days of radiotherapy, chemo to start ‘towards the end of sept’.

my concern/question is the time scales here, it is currently spreading around my body? What if all lymph nodes are positive when they remove them? I would not find this out for another 5-6 weeks from today.  Chemo to start in 10-12 weeks is a long time for it to be spreading? Should I consider going private? Not that I can afford to but I would know sooner? Would this mean NHS would still do chemo or would I still have to wait that long?

Should I be worried as to why they are removing all lymph nodes instead of doing a biopsy on them? 

I am normally quite mentally strong but this has floored me. I will speak to my cancer nurse/s tomorrow also but would appreciate your thoughts also. Maybe I could get a full body MRI privately now, to see if there is cancer anywhere else? I feel healthy apart from my recent lumpectomy/sentinel node areas.

why do o need both chemo and radiotherapy if I choose a full mastectomy? Il

am I right in saying if I have a full mastectomy the cancer cannot come back to that area?

Claire x

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    Hi Claire,
    Not a medic, just an ex-patient, but appreciate that you want detailed answers to your questions. I was the same.
    I am certain they would never delay chemo for 10-12 weeks if they thought the delay might jeopardize your survival. Your medical teams are experts. And they want you to be cured.
    My non-expert understanding is that a biopsy is never a substitute, in terms of accuracy, for a full pathological examination of the lymph node. But the medical team works very hard to balance the morbidity risks, associated with lymph node removal, with the reduced side effects, but also reduced accuracy, of a biopsy. 
    I was terrified when I was waiting for my sentinal node procedure results. I knew in advance that a positive result would have meant  a removal of all lymph nodes in the groin. But I had read up on it, and knew it would have been the right thing to do. Fortunately for me, I got lucky. My sentinal nodes were fine.
    Really sorry your results were not great. I wish you the very best, Claire.
    x Harry

  • Offline in reply to Harry2

    Thank you so much for your kind words and sharing your though and Experiance x

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