For anyone newly diagnosed, particularly with micrometastases in their lymph nodes, there is a thread in ‘Undergoing Treatment for Breast Cancer’ called ‘When is a Lymph Node Really Involved’ (page 2) which you may find interesting and helpful started by msmolly.
When I was dx in 2006 I was always on the lookout for people dx with micromets, there aren’t a lot of us about and information about micromets is thin on the ground too. I think this is an important topic (but then I would wouldn’t I because I have micromets!!) and it worries me that the thread referred to above just gets lost in the volume of other posts. Not sure whether lymph node involvement would warrant a category of its own.
Love xxx
Hi Swissmiss, I have just read the thread you referred me to having been told that my 1 lymph node out of the 9 taken had micro metastases in it and am even more confused. I haven’t yet seen my path report (the BCN said she would put it in the post) so I have no idea re lymphatic system, ER + or - etc etc (and am still confused by a lot of the terminology!) but find myself now thinking
- Aren’t metastases bad - ie the cancer was starting to take root somewhere else
- Couldn’t the little buggers have got into some of my other lymph nodes and be bigger
- Couldn’t the little buggers have got through my lymph nodes and are growing sneakily somewhere else in my body
- Though the cancer cells in my breast were slow growing stage 1 could any other ones that have snuck off from there change and become 2s or 3s
I am waiting for an appt to see the oncologist and hopefully he can answer some of my questions and explain if/what they will do about any stray cells but as a now concerned person I tend to agree with you that perhaps a category re lymph node involvement would be worthwhile…
Hi Ostrich
You are welcome to call our helpline to speak with one of our specialist nurses about the questions you have regarding lymph node involvement on 0808 800 6000. The line is open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-2pm.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes
Lucy
Swissmiss thanks for the links. Although my screen name suggests I often stick my head in the sand (and I do) I am aware of the enormous wealth of information that can be uncovered as I have surfed at my peril before
As there is not as much info on this website on this topic as there is on others I think I will brave the waves! I’ll let you know if I find anything useful (?)
Take care of you too, x
Hi Ostrich,
I have been an ostrich in the past as well! As to your thoughts, I think the answer is technically yes to all four questions but there is a caveat with this in that they may never happen or materialise - lots of other factors come into play. At least you now have some good questions to ask your Onc - I didn’t ask my Onc a great deal as I was in a complete state of shock at the time. Let us know how you get on Ostrich. Love xxx
Thanks Swissmiss, have had a brief surfette through the pages you posted (not all were there/accessible) and haven’t had to change my undies. I believe my brief reading and brain have deduced thus so far but tell me if I have grabbed the wrong end of the stick!!
There does seem to be a debate over the affect of micrometastases on long term survival though it does appear they aint great for your long term chances, it is not clear whether the micrometastases are being spotted more nowadays due to a change in testing/staining, someone has decided an arbitrary cut off point for size from when your individual cancer cell becomes a micometastases and thus whether you should be treated as node + or - and therefore have adjuvent therapy and there seems to be some debate over whether the smaller bits are a break off from surgery or actual spread.
Many of the studies seem to be in relation to sentinel node biopsies and whether these are useful in determining treatment through the discovery of micro mets however mine were discovered following clearance after my mastectomy so I have no idea whether any of the nodes removed following that were sentinel nodes.
Hmm, lots of things wurring around in head but not in a bad way. Am now keen to see my path report and try to order the thoughts in my head so that I can go and see Oncologist like a sensible well read patient but not a having swallowed a whole load of medical journals neurotic patient 