Lymph Nodes

Chadneyann

I'm having surgery on July 21st.  Docs don't know if my lymph nodes are affected.  Will have a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy on the 20th.  Scared beyong belief.  If nodes are affected, then I have to have chemo.  My doc says it takes about 4-5 days to find out if nodes are cancerous.  Why so long?  

The closer it gets to surgery, the more emotional/figgety/freaked-out I get.

tpcjkk

The estimate of 4-5 days is probably to find out the total number of nodes that are positive.  When I had my SNB (which was at same time as my lumpectomy), the BS took my two sentinel nodes, and a pathologist looked at them then and there.  When one of the SN's tested positive, my BS went ahead and removed all level one nodes (10 additional nodes).  After I came out of surgery, my BS told me I had at least one positive node.  I found out a few days later (after all the nodes went to pathology) that I had a second node test positive (the other SN), but that the 10 axilla nodes all tested negative.  If your SN's don't appear to have any cancer, your axilla nodes won't be removed.  But you won't be sure that there are no cancer cells in the SN's until the pathologist examines them more carefully--that's what takes the 4-5 days.  Hope that helps.

peggy_j

Re: the 4-5 days: after surgery the pathologist studies the nodes very carefully under the microscope. In my case, it took a week.

pam53

I had two seperate surgeries.  They had found precancerous cells on my stereotatic core biopsy so they did an excisional biopsy on 6/29.  Found IDC, Grade I.  Returned for SN biopsy on 7/13. I return for post op appointment on 7/21 and will get path results then.  So, yes on both sugeries I had to wait 8 days.  Waiting is tough.  You go from not wanting to know, to needing to know that minute!

Liane

I have a question- How can people have 0 nodes with mets?  I have read this on people's profiles but do not understand.  Can anyone explain?