Extensive extranodal extension

ElizabethJ

Greetings, all,

I was diagnosed in March 2013 with invasive ductal carcinoma. I had a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy 10 days later. Four out of five nodes tested positive.

I had chemo (FEC x 3 and Docetaxel x 3) over the summer and an ALND November 14. I'm scheduled to start radiation after the holidays, and just started Tamoxifen tonight.

I am feeling just fine and was holding it together until I received the pathology report summary at the post-op appointment early this week. Seven of eight nodes positive, plus "extensive extranodal extension" was noted. Description of contents included the following: "consists of one piece of fibrofatty tan to pale yellow tissue measuring 8.0 x 6.5 x 1.5 cm," which included a fibroadipose tissue which also tested positive. It was described as a "dense ill-defined white fibrous area measuring 2.0 x 1.5 x 0.8 cm."

I would be grateful to hear from anyone who had a chunk of tissue removed instead of just the lymph nodes, because of cancer in the axillary tissue.

Many thanks,

elizabeth

TectonicShift

I had that. IIRC mine said extra nodal extension and vascular invasion (in the lymph node tumors, not the breast tumor). I know my biggest nodes were over 2 cm and were busting open with cancer. My underarm has kind of a big hole in it. I just had my two-year scans and they were clean.

ElizabethJ

GREAT to hear. Thank you for posting.

e

weesa

I had large tumors surrounding my lymph nodes and they were matted together. Not sure how they were removed, but I too have a large indentation there now. I know my sentinel node had a 2 cm tumor surrounding it. I am over 11 years out.

ElizabethJ

That's amazing! Thank you for giving me hope, Weesa.

e

lkc

Hi Elizabeth. I also had extensive lymph and vascular invasion. My Sentinel AND Axillary nodes were " completely replaced by tumor". I had 12 out of 14 pos nodes and a stage III C... BC, That was over 8.5 years and and I am fine now.

You will be too. You will get through this difficult time.

toomuch

Elizabeth - Durin SNB an individual node or group of nodes is removed. During an AND a swath of tissue that contains the nodes is removed. The tissue that is removed is determined by specific anatomical landmarks. The number of nodes within the tissue can vary greatly. My sentinal node was 2 cm with ECE  I know that radiation was the greatest weapon that I had to prevent local recurrance.

Holeinone

ElizabethJ, thank- you for starting this, It was like I wrote it myself. I got my path report 2 weeks ago as I was getting my last chemo infusion. My surgeon had told me the bottom line, but I knew nothing of this. My path report says focal extradonal extension. My onc, says, no worries, the chemo takes care of it.

I have been having even more anxiety...

Weesa & lkc...thanks for sharing your stories, it really helps....

lkc

A Final thought ladies. What I found to be extremely helpful was locking my stinkin path report away for many many years so I wouldn't obsessively be looking at it all the time. Reduced anxiety in a big way in the early days...

After " lucky" 7 years I dug it out. Still was a stinkin path report, but didn't in the least affect me.

Worked for me!

LizA17

Amen IKC!

ElizabethJ

Thanks to everyone for chiming in. Glad to know I'm not alone and that others have been through this and are on the other side.

Toomuch: thank you for the explanation! The procedure as you describe was not fully explained to me during the consent discussion, hence my shock reading the path report.

Cheers

RosesToeses

I'm late on this thread but chiming in anyway! I also had "extensive extranodal invasion" and cancer in and around several nodes. I guess it's not that common in general, but among us stage III ladies, it seems pretty common. Which stinks, but is also good in a way because it's considered in the treatment plan and, I would guess, in things like survival stats (and I'm loving the long years and no return of cancer postings in this thread!).

Holeinone

bump