Tumor placement and lymh node involvemtn

Billynda

I don't know if it is kind of dumb that I didn't realize this before, or if one really doesn't have a lot to do with the other - but I was just thinking that it kind of makes sense to me now that I had so many lymph nodes involved because my lumpectomy scar is like one inch below my lymph node scar.  Does this seem to be the case with anyone else? 

Leah_S

I think it has to do more with aggressiveness of the cancer. Mine was the lower inner quadrant but I had 6 nodes involved. That's a lot for a tumor that's small (it was 1.6 cm.).

Leah

lexislove

I agree with Leah...

It's the aggresivness of the BC. Mine was outer quadrant/ mid, around 11'oclock position. So, I guess that would be closer to the armpit area as well. But, here I am with an 8cm tumor with 0/6 nodes involved.

diana50

yeah, who knows how this works. i had a small tumor...lower.outer quadrant...but with 10+

krcll

My lymph node scar is a continuation of my Mx scar. It is quite low under my arm. The rads onc said that the lymph nodes that were taken out were higher and more on my chest (as opposed to under the arm) than where my scar is. I was surprised, but maybe they make the incision low enough to be hidden by a bra or bathing suit. My point is, if you are wondering about tumour placement in relationship to the nodes, I am not sure that the scar is an accurate indication of where the nodes actually used to be. Maybe someone else knows for sure?

Anyway, I had 2 tumours- 2.8 cm at 2 o'clock and 1.8 at 10 o'clock with 9 nodes. I have thought that was alot of nodes for a relatively smallish tumour (if only the biggest of the 2 counts) and that it was because of the grade 3/HER2+ aggressiveness. 

edited for spelling

karen1956

Billyna....I had multiple tumors, all small, but 8+ nodes, plus the ones they biopsied at time of Dx.  BS only took out first layer of lymph nodes.

Billynda

hmmm, well it was just an observation...  i guess we are all different and I thought where the scar is would be where they took them out. 

krcll

By the way, I just read somewhere that where the tumor was has something to do with how much the lymph nodes are a affected. I would send the link to the site, but it is in Norwegian. So I guess you are on to something there, Billynda....