Had my biopsy results today which showed cancer cells in my lymph nodes. I have a mx booked for 8th Nov with axillary node clearance but am worried about the cells in my lymph nodes. Does this always mean it has spread? Asked about scans but they sort of said ’ all in good time’ but this is the thing keeping me awake
Thanks
x
I had spread to my nodes when diagnosed but there was more conscern about the amount of vascular invasion ( and there was a lot!!). However I am almost eight years down the line, still ned and feeling fine. The lymph nodes tend to mop up any cancer cells before they spread further afield.
Josie x
Hi Herbidacious,
I had 3 out of 15 lymph nodes affected at diagnosis 9 1/2 years ago - (please see my profile!) - I too am lucky enough to remain NED.
I didn’t have scans.
Very best wishes x
I had 5/5 lymph nodes affected when I had SNB in June - yes it means that it has spread - but it also means that the lymph nodes are doing their job. I had CT and Bone scan afterwards and both were clear. I am 3/4 of the way through chemo and then I will have a mastectomy and full lymph clearance then radiation to kill of what ever else might be floating around.
Don’t keep awake worrying about a future that has yet to come. Live for today and enjoy now.
This too will pass!
You asked if it meant the cancer had spread. It only means it has spread to the lymph nodes, not anywhere else. When people talk about cancer spreading I think they usually mean elsewhere in the body, not the nodes.
I had 3/16 nodes affected 4 1/2 years ago. today I am NED. I have never had any scans.
Hi there, I agree with all of the above comments. The lymph nodes are there to filter out any cancer cells before they reach other parts of the body so it is great that they have picked it up. I had 5 out of 11 lymph nodes with cancer cells in them 12 years ago & apart from a bit of a blip 7 years ago when I had a local recurrence (cancer came back in the same place) I am now as fit as a fiddle with know health worries. You will get there too, keep smiling 
i had 8 out of 13 lymph nodes affected, current guidance (in my area anyway) is that if 4 or more are affected you will have further scans, bone scan and ct scan
i’ve had the bone scan and thank goodness heard yesterday that it was clear, i’m still waiting for a ct scan, i won’t repeat what the others have said, but it does not mean it has spread to other parts of body
you should be told about a week after surgery how many are affected, its a worrying time, but you’re in good hands
Good luck
Gill x
Hi all,
Such a positive thread. I am off to get my results tomorrow from axillary clearance and I am so scared about what they will tell me. I had two nodes takes out during SNB and one came back with tiny cells in. Each time I go to the hospital it is bad news. It is very hard to keep positive.
Thanks for sharing your experiences
I only had 6 clear nodes - I don’t know how many were affected as I had chemo first and the affected nodes were just a fibrous mass. I had a CT scan in April but I have not been given a bone scan.
The CT scan was clear.
Good luck.
I do understand how you feel. When I was diagnosed in Feb 2009, I was initially told by the first consultant after he felt under my arm that I didn’t seem to have any lymph node involvement and would need a lumpectomy. When i changed consultants, the next one felt under my arm and said straight away that the nodes were most definitely enlarged and I needed a radical mastectomy. It turned out that I had 9 out of 17 nodes involved.
When I posted about this back in 2009 someone said the way to look at it is that your lymph nodes are there doing their job and blocking it from going around the body. I imagined my nodes as being filled with luminous knights on white horses attacking and blocking the path of the cancer cells - may sound a bit odd but it worked for me.
Good luck with clearance and the rest of the treatment, take care Elinda x
Thankyou all so much for the encouragement, will definitely be envisaging my lymph nodes as knights in shining armour and hoping there doing there job,
it is hard to keep positive sometimes but everyone on here is amazing
hugs to all x
Hi Herbi,
I had 22/25 lymph nodes involved, diagnosed in March this year, followed by clear bone scan and lung & liver CT scan after ANC.
Had another clear bone scan in September.
I also like to think of my nodes as protecting the rest of my body.
It’s lovely to hear of all you ladies who remain NED.
We’ve all been so scared but find a way to cope eventually.
Hugs to all,
Kate xxx
herbidacious1 - hello - just wanted to say hello to you and to everyone, and no the answer to ur question is no, not always bad when lymph involvement - I had grade 3 bc dx last December and since had a lumpectomony and 6 chemo plus 23 rads. when i had the op i had 18 nodes removed and 2 were cancerous, and this did not mean it had spread but simply that they had done their “knight in shining armour” job and protected my body they stopped the spread. hope all goes good for u and that u find as much comfort in this web site as i have done, lots of love and feel free to pm me any time. Shar xx
Mine were Ok but friend at work - who was my inspiration - had about 13 nodes affected, quite big lump - is now more than 5 years down the line, and is absolutely fine. No not always bad. Like the knights metaphor!
apparantley i have cancer and a lot of calcification in my left breast a biopsy on a gland under my arm has shown disease also so ive gotta have a complete lymph node clearance was happy because could be treated with a masectomy and chemo and the lymph node clearance but the reality of what ive gotta have done is just starting to kick in i think but found the posts here very reassuring thank you all x
This is a comforting thread…my SNLB results today showed 2/3 involvement…im currently here with a banging headache and other aches and pains attacking me…im already thinking the worst. I need to change my mind set but its isnt easy when all I have heard in the last 4 weeks is devastating news
But reading such positive posts of lymph node involvement gives me the lift I need right now.
Hi
I had a mastectomy and lymph node removal (2 nodes pos) in Dec 2006/Jan 2007 went on to have 8 sessions of Epi/CMF chemo. I have had clear mammograms for 4 years went on to have Tram Flap reconstruction in Dec 2010. All went well. My 5th Mammogram is in Jan 2012, hoping it will be all clear.
Hi Everyone
I also have been told i have 1 lymph involved provisionally book for lumpectomy on 9th nov had CT scan this week bone scan next week go to see my consultant 28th (tomorrow) i am so worried that it has spread cant sleep either but after reading all your stories it has made me feel a lot more positive
2 out of the 4 nodes they sampled at my first op had micro metastases in them & i can remember being absolutely petrified that it had spread to all the rest & further. But it hadn’t, they did an axillary clearance & took another 18 nodes & didnt find cancer in any of them. So what the others have said about knights in shining armour is so true.
Hi There All had my MX on 20 Sept Lymph nodes removed 15 cancerous out of 18 removed, had bone and ct scan. have found more lymph nodes affected in pelvic/ stomach area showed up on ct scan, starting Chemo this week which oncologist says will help treat lymph problem. They will scan me again after 3 Chemo treatments to keep an eye on whats happening. 6 FEC-T planned. Has anyone else heard of this problem? feel confused and scared.