AM having a bad day. I am 16 months post the end of treatment (WLE 1.4 cm lump chemo, rads and tamoxifen. Lymph nodes were clear.
My lump was on the inside area of my breast at about 2 o clock. Through researching on the internet (naughty I know) I found that we have other lymph nodes near the breast bone called internal mammary ones. It turns out that they also drain from the breast (inside area) but if the axilla nodes are clear(these are area of main drainage) then these other ones are deemed clear as well -they can’t be checked as too deep in chest .
I asked onc about this and he said it is not where the lump is it is its ability to travel and if not in axilla then it hasnt travelled.
I am v worried though because I keep thinking that if they weren’t checked how do they know?
Anyone else had a lump in a similar position and asked about this?
Hi Alise
My lump was at 10 o’clock and I had 3 nodes involved and therefore all removed.
I have now finished my treatment but during the 6 weeks of RT they also zapped the lymph nodes behind the breast bone close to the lower part of the neck. They said at the time that it was a very difficult place to treat and being HER2 negative they were throwing everything they could at me, their exact words being belts and braces.
I do believe that it is where you live and which onc, as to the treatment you receive.
Hugs Marion
Hi… my lump was 4 o’clock - and had 4 nodes involved. I too was worried about internal mammary nodes, I read somewhere that the lower-inner quadrant was least likely to get a lump, but also the most likely to affect the IMN. I kept thinking … what are the odds of NO spread to IMN, if 4 axilla are involved?! It still scares me. I did have rads to the neck (super-clavicular?) area, but not under the breast-bone. I did discuss the matter briefly with my consultants, but was told that BC telds to follow a well-worn path, so (basically) not to worry. I had read there was not much you could do about it anyway, surgery was impracticle, and progression was likely regardless. About a year ago (2 months after end of treatment) I felt a lump in my throat when I swallowed and that got me worrying even more, I had tests that revealed nothing. The ear/nose/throat consultant said it couldn’t be IMN pressure anyway, because the throat does not run close to those nodes.
The only consoling thought is my lump was grade-3, and its now over a year since end of treatment (other than Tamoxifen). If my IMN were already involved at diagnosis, and were beyond reach of chemo or hormone-therapy, I think I might know about it by now.
It also has to be said, I have not seen or heard of anyone with an IMN diagnosis (even a retrospective one) so it does seem to be rare.
Hi Alise my lump was at 2.00 o’clock My consultant removed 4 lymph nodes from my internal mammany nodes due to the position - my underarm lymph nodes were clear (11 removed) as were the internal - he did say generally if the underarm ones were clear the internal ones were. I think I am fortuntae as I live in sheffield and it is a specialist hospital for breast cancer that internal nodes were checked, not all hospitals do check. I also had extensive vascular invasion and both nodes clear so fingers crossed Sandra
Thank you Sandra - my lump was 2 o clock as well. My onc was adamant that if axilla clear imn are nearly always clear as cancer hasnt moved. It’s scarey though isn’t it? How long ago was yours? I dont know why mine weren’t checked - I was told they are impossible to get at (obviously not though as yours weren’t). Did you have alumpectomy or mastectomy - maybe that makes a difference.? I had a lumpectomy. I was treated at Christies in Manchester which is supposed to be a world leading cancer hospital so it just shows you doesn’t it?
Also - about your vascular invasion - I asked about mine and he said I didn’t have it and I was v relieved. However he said its not important at all compared to nodes so maybe you should not be worrying about that at all.
Angnibert, i was soooo please to hear about your throat, i dont mean that in a horrible way but same thing happened to me and over a year later i still feel a lump in throat when i swallow. Its never once gone away, it feels like someone is throttling me. I have had xray and scan and all looks fine. I do have fluid build up above each clavicle and almost to the back of my neck so i think it might be pressure from this. Anyway, it started over a year a go and doesnt seem to chenge. Oncs looked at fluid and said he hasnt seen it happen before and must be from the rads. I had afew boosters to the sternum area as he said he wantedted to get the nodes there.
Sorry to go off topic abit.
Hi Alise and Pineapple - I had a lumpectomy - do not know how my Consultant managed to get at the internal nodes but I was under Ms Wyld at Sheffield Hallamshire and she did the underarm lymph nodes but Prof Read did the internals as she said she had never done the internals and it was tricky. Was told they removed 4.
I too have had problems with a feeling of lump in my throat since April this year. Have had a camera down and nothing sinister but they did say that it was swollen linking into gastric reflux - I am now taking tablets for gastric reflux and it has calmed down a bit Sandra
Hi Alise rushed my last post as my teenage son and girlfriend wanted running to the cinema, like they do, but he is a good boy and I am happy that he still does not mind
being with me - he takes his driving test next week so I may then be redundant.
I was diagnosed in May 2005, lumpectomy July 7th day of the london bombing, cavity shaving end of August 2005 followed by 4 x AC chemo, 5 weeks rads which finished 1st Feb 2006. Recieved all clear from my 2nd mammogram yesterday - phew. Take care Love Sandra
Sandra, i couldnt cope with having a camera put down my throat so havent got that reassurance, but i do manage to forget about it sometimes although the sensation is constantly there and sometimes about every 5 or 6 weeks its seems to get worse for a couple of weks then calms alittle so a regular pattern that i am trying to live with.
I must say that the swelling i have above my clavicle and round base of neck, if i push my shoulders back i look like mrs schwartnegger (spelling?) but as i am still bald, have got fat and feel so damn ugly i dont suppose it matters much!
Thank you for replying. I was dx in December 2005 so I am only a bit behind you. I had no tests whatsoever at dx apart from a chest xray as I was told I didn’t need them but it is a worry.
It annoys me that my surgeon said the imn were impossible to get at and yet yours managed!! She didihowever stress that if the axilla are clear and th e margins clear that the imn will be clear as well. I am only 44 (42 at dx) how old are you?
Hi Alise I have had no other tests except for a chest xray - worry about that also but scared to ask for other tests - ignorance is bliss.I have never met anyone yet that has had internal mammary nodes removed - that worried me a bit a first but as I said earlier my doctor did say that if the underarms were clear that he expected the internal ones to be clear also. I did have vascular invasion and had to have a cavity wall shaving but the margins were clear after second op. I was 51 at diagnosis now a young in mind 54 but body feels about 100 with the arimidex.