Staging Question

pam53
pam53 Member Posts: 131
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

I was diagnosed with IDC on 7/7.  They did a SN biopsy on 7/13 and I am awaitng path report on that.  I see on some of the sisters bios that some have 0 nodes but are stage IV.  I was thinking if my nodes were negative, I would not be stage IV.  How do they determine stage IV if you have negative nodes?  Do they automatically do other scans to find these things out?  Thanks for your help.  It is all very new and confusing to me.

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  • susan_02143
    susan_02143 Member Posts: 7,209
    edited July 2011

    Stage IV means that the cancer has spread distant places in the body. Cancer that has migrated to the nodes is not categorized as Stage IV.

    Scans to search for mets are not generally standard protocol. Doctors will often wait until you are symptomatic or have unusual blood numbers. This scan protocol will vary based on the size and personality of your particular cancer.

    That said, clean nodes is generally viewed as good news. Hope this helps.

    *susan* 

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