I'm "joining your club" (and I didn't even know I applied.....)

joyandpiece

Hi Everyone.  I've been lurking for a few weeks while I waited to get my biopsy done.   I got the news yesterday that I will be joining your club.  Thank you all so much for the great information on this site.  Based on what I have learned here, I was able to understand all that my doctor told me with a clear head.   I am waiting to see my full pathology report and get a surgical consult.  So far I know that they found high grade DCIS and also IDC.  Estrogen+ and HER2+.   We are hanging in there ok, just a bit shocked.  Our daughter went to college across the country last weekend for her freshman year.  I will have to get used to the new normal.

HappyHammer

Joy and Piece- in my opinion, you are in the right place as far as bco.org...great resources!  You may want to check out the Lumpectomy Lounge thread if you haven't already.  I, too, am er and HER2pos...over a year out from dx after annual mammo.....chemo/biological therapy/surgery/lumpectomy/AI meds...and, doing well.  Keep reaching out!  Hugs!

Lilyn

Hi Joyandpiece. It will seem quite unreal and you will go one step at a time...hugs to you, was also ER positive and Her2+ and am now 8 years out

Cinnamon68

Does anyone have any advice on getting the full lymph node removal when only one lymph node was taken out the sentinel and yes it has cancer but this STUDY is making me wonder if I need to have all them taken out and it I don't I would just do radiation and hormonal therapy. And if not and I get the all the lymph nodes taken out and they say there is more cancer the oncologist will want me to get CHEMO and all the rest of it RAD/HORM Therapy as well.

My surgeon her specialty is breast and melanoma cancer she does hundreds a year, surgery that is on the breasts. And my chemical oncologist the one prescribing CHEMO and Hormonal Therapy well they both have discussed the lymph node and they both want me to have the full removal of lymph nodes -ALN. Which can and most likely cause lymphadema and I'm not sure what to do after reading this study. I don't want to get the surgery if the radiation will kill the cancer and keep it a bay but on the other hand I don't want to not get it if there is more cancer and the radiation doesn't do enough and I back to square prolonging treatment and possibly causing myself more problems and possible lowering my survival rate.

So I'm just confused with this study the Z11 done in 2011 can anyone tell me the chances of the lymph nodes having more cancer if they are higher compared to not having anymore cancer invading the lymph nodes when one is found to have cancer?

I don't want to take a chance and don't get the right treatment plan but the treatment plans can be so scary and a bit much. It just seems like things have to get worse before they get better in order to KILL this EVIL WEED THAT WON'T STOP GROWING UNLESS YOU CUT IT OUT AND DOUSE IT WITH CHEMICALS!!

I suffer with depression and anxiety and OCD and I was in the hospital 2x prior to being diagnosed and now this. This has truly been the worse year of my life. I cry a lot and I'm angry and I want to go back in time and make all this GO AWAY and get a do over!!

I'm usually an up beat fun person, I'm a LEO, I'm the party starter and I love to dance and have fun, love music, people and children are drawn to me, I always get them dancing!. And animals we go to ZOOS, I've been to 19 different zoos in the USA our goal is to go to all the ZOOS in the USA. And we've gone to a lot of State Fairs we've been to IOWA STATE FAIR, WISCONSIN STATE FAIR this one we go to every year, MINNESOTA STATE FAIR this one we've gone to 2 years in a row and wanted to go to it this year but not sure about this year, OHIO STATE and Milwaukee Summerfest we go to every year. But this year we haven't done as much as we usually would because of all of this and I'm just not into it. My relationship has gone through a lot this year it's been very hard on my man, I'm surprised he still wants me in his life. We've been together for 13 years, not married but we are in my eyes. But with the hospital stays 2x for my mental problems and my body beating me up the RA/Lupus that has taken its toll at times and now CANCER it's been a rough road lately.

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis/Lupus and Ulcerative Colitis and other auto immune diseases that come in and out of my life. And I've had RA/ Lupus since I was 13 yr old and we think that I most likely got it through a viral infection when I was around 8 or 9 years old. So pain has been a part of my life and that's mental as well a physical and I not sure if my small body will tolerate the chemicals they want to pour in to chest. I've been on METHOTREXATE and I had to have it adjusted due to having severe reactions to it being to high of a dose. I'm more scared of the treatment plans then the surgery!!! I'm so scared and sad.

Most who know me aren't used to seeing me like this and its almost like they expect me to snap out of it and make myself be happy and positive or else it will kill me they say. Most don't know what to do but say, stay positive, eat healthy, find something to make yourself happy and this is all nice and most likely right but not always as easy to do at times.

seq24

Cinnamon, I am not sure if i can be of much help to you except to share my similar experience. I was diagnosed at the end of July and met with the surgeon in early August. Breast cancer surgery is his specialty. The biopsy report already told us that there were fragments of the cancer in one lymph node. The surgeon immediately told me that he was requiring a lymph node dissection. I questioned the MO about this and the surgeon a second time because I did not want to have all those lymph nodes removed if it wasn't necessary and MO originally told me it would be sentinel node biopsy. The surgeon finally told me he had every reason to believe that the cancer had spread "far beyond what the original reports indicated" and the MO agreed. I basically didn't get a choice in the procedure and I was so scared. I had surgery 2 weeks ago. They removed 12 lymph nodes, and guess what? Only the ONE we knew about from the ultrasound/biopsy reports was positive. As far as lymphedema, I am not experiencing any problems with that. I started doing the exercises they gave me right away. No swelling and no fluid buildup. My underarm area is still numb but I was told that would happen and it would take awhile for that to come back. The back of my arm feels funny. Not even sure how to describe it but was told it is part of the healing. Now that I think back on everything, I am glad I know for sure that it had not spread any further than the one node and that they did the procedure for my own peace of mind. The bad news is because it was in that one node, they are now recommending chemo. I am absolutely scared out of my mind for that part but I am meeting with MO on Monday to find out exactly what the plan is. I'm not sure if this helps, but that is my experience. Please be in touch.

seq24

joyandpiece, You have found a wonderful place of caring and support. I am new here myself and have found such a positive source of encouragement from all of these wonderful ladies on here. I just had my surgery 2 weeks ago and will find out on Monday what the next steps are, although I already know, chemo, radiation and hormone therapy. I am very, very scared, but the information I have received on these boards has been a tremendous help. Please keep us posted on how things are going and feel free to Private Message me if you ever want to. I'm right there with you at the beginning of this process. Take care.

susan3

cinamon, i have lymph invasion. Some were able to take out. I am on chemo. It took 14 years before lymphedema showed up. Left arm, not bad. I know radiation can cause it too. They can't predict those who might get it. Good luck, best wishes, hang in there :

Moderators

joyandpiece - welcome to Breastcancer.org. We're so sorry you have to be here, but really glad you found us. As you can already see, our Community is an incredible source of support and advice. Our members are the best! We're all here for you, as you learn more about your diagnosis and navigate your treatment. Please come back often, ask lots of questions, and you'll get wonderful support!

Cinnamon68 - we know there are lots of tough decisions to be made during this difficult time, with all of the information you're learning. You may want to check out the main Breastcancer.org site's section on Lymph Node Removal, including the Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection pages to get a clearer understanding about what this process means for your diagnosis. In addition, there are some other studies we've reported on that may help.

We look forward to hearing more from both of you, and supporting you during your treatment!

--The Mods

Cinnamon68

Thank you so much for your feed back and thank joyandpiece your title says it all. I'm sorry if I upset you by jumping on your feed but it seem to be hard to find people who are talking right now and not months ago or years ago. I'm so sorry, I'm new to all of this so I just want to get feed back so badly this has made me so confused and with Seq24 feed back thank you Seq24 for the info due to all of all this I'm really questioning this much further.

I would love if others can give me more of their feed back and if they could tell me what they think or feel......... like would they say, I would not take a chance and I would get the surgery or I would really question this much further due to the recent changes at looking the sentinel lymph node and it having CANCER in just the one lymph node and proceeding with the full lymph node removal and if its really beneficial?

I would love to know if others who have had one sentinel lymph node resmoved and it showed CANCER and you then proceeded to schedule the full lymph node removal you had the surgery....... and what was the out come how many more were present with CANCER.

So my question is what's the the majority of others who have/had CANCER in more lymph nodes after the full lymph node removal or were there more others showing no CANCER in other lymph nodes after having the full lymph node surgery.

And also are there others who had the one sentinel lymph node removed and stopped with that and then had the Radiation and Hormone Therapy and the CANCER did not come back and you're doing fine and you have surpassed the 5 year survival rate. My Oncologist. says if anymore CANCER is found that CHEMO/RAD/HORM that's the FULL MONTY will be the treatment plan. SO CONFUSED, SO SCARED!! Lots of love and laughs always!!

seq24

I had so many of the same questions not even a month ago. I did not want them to remove so many lymph nodes, I did not want to get lymphodema. I guess in my opinion, now that I have passed that stage and had the surgery, if they would have just taken one or two nodes, I would always have wondered how many other nodes had cancer that they left in there. What sealed the deal for me was that the surgeon and oncologist both said they believed it had spread further than the one node (so happy they were wrong) and the fact that the surgeon assured me that lymphodema occurs in just 7% of people. I thought those were low enough odds to go ahead with it. Now I have the peace of mind knowing that it truly had not spread. I am fighting tooth and nail not to have to have chemo, but the determining factor is because it was in that one node. I'm scared out of my mind for the next steps but I've always been of the mindset better safe than sorry. Not sure if this helps.

joyandpiece

Thanks for the hugs and feedback everyone.   Cinnamon68, I think it is natural to be confused and scared.  I cannot address your immediate questions because I am so new too, but I do love your advice for "Lots of love and laughs always!!"  I am going to keep that in mind.  I am trying my best to keep my head above water and not go nuts until I get more info - it is so hard!   

All of us are on a road we did not choose.  It would be similar to growing up in, say, rural Missouri, and all of a sudden being plopped right in the middle of Moscow.  You don't know the language.  You can keep in touch with your friends, but they don't know what it's like being in this foreign country.  You know so little about this place that you don't even know the best way to go about things.  Slowly, but surely (I hope!) you learn the lingo, get more comfortable choosing the neighborhoods and streets that suit you best and also make new friends along the way.  Helpful, caring, friends that have also been to "Moscow" and can clue you in on the best kept secrets of the city.  Eventually, you can make your way back to "Missouri" and appreciate it more, always being changed by your visit to "Moscow".   

joyandpiece

Thank you HappyHammer and Lilyn.  It is good to see people doing well with profiles similar to mine. 

ChiSandy

Cinnamon, It's highly unusual to remove only one node even if it's the only one that lit up as the "sentinel." That isn't usually enough for most surgeons. They took four of mine--2 sentinel, 2 adjacent, which all turned out negative. Is there something in your report you don't understand or that they didn't explain clearly

ElaineTherese

Cinnamon,

Before chemo, one node was diagnosed as cancerous (fine needle biopsy). After chemo, all my nodes looked clean on an MRI and a PET scan. But, guess what? My surgeon ended up taking all 20 of my 1st and 2nd level lymph nodes during my lumpectomy! NONE of the 20 tested positive for cancer after chemo.

The surgeon was only supposed to take out the suspicious lymph node and a few of its neighbors. But, the radiologist had never inserted a surgical clip in the suspicious node. So, after five months of chemo and clean scans, no one remembered where the suspicious node was! So, yes, they're all gone. But, I've been really lucky and have avoided lymphedema so far.

Good luck!

Luckynumber47

seq24, I think your surgeon grossly underestimated the risk for Lymphedema. While 5-17% of women who have SNB develop Lymphedema that number rises to 20-53% for women who have had ALND (5-30 nodes). Risk also rises for those who have had chemo and/or radiation.

I hope your MO waits until you get the results of your Oncotype before he recommends chemo. Additionally, it would be an excellent idea to get a second opinion (either in person or faxing your reports to a cancer center). The "fragments" they found in your lymph node may not be enough to call that lymph node "positive" and may not justify the recommendation of chemo

seq24

Thanks Luckynumber, Just curious about faxing results to a cancer center. Do I just choose one, say in the closest big city, send the fax and they will give me their recommendation without seeing me? Seeing MO tomorrow to find out her recommendation and also insisting on the Oncotype DX test which I was previously told was not recommended for me based on the one positive node. I don't understand that because almost everyone on here has had it.

Luckynumber47

I wish I had better information about second opinions - my care has been so uncomplicated I didn't seek one. Maybe someone on here will chime in - or you could even start a thread specifically asking how to do it. Personally, I'd just call any well known Cancer Center and ask how to get a second opinion. Go back and read your original thread. Barred Owl made some excellent recommendations on getting a second opinion.

Genomic Health has tests for both node negative and node positive (1-3 nodes). Print out their info page and take it with you to show your dr:

http://www.genomichealth.com/en-US/oncotype_iq_products/oncotype_dx/oncotype_dx_breast_cancer

Also, look long and hard at your pathology report. Those "fragments" should have a specific size - Is it Isolated tumor cells (that Drs note but don't treat, and are considered node negative) is it micrometasthesis (less than or =to 2mm) or macrometasthesis (greater than 2mm)?

I'm also a little curious about your stage. Wouldn't a 1cm (up to 2cm) node positive be stage 1b? Maybe the appt with the MO will clarify that

Best of luck with your upcoming appointment. May it be nothing but good news!

Heidi000

I also joined the club...... Wasn't anywhere remotely on my radar. Quickly did surgery to not ever have to deal with it again, and SURPRISE my Oncotype came in at 21. Had 3 consults and chose a doctor but still so conflicted and scared. Supposed to start CMF chemo as well as Lupron shots tomorrow. I'm fine with the Lupron, but scared about the CMF chemo.

Any advice out there.......

Thanks,

BarredOwl

Hi Cinnamon68:

Re second opinions, with a recommendation in hand and a decision pending (e.g., re ALND,chemotherapy), you may wish to seek a second opinion to probe the medical advice you are receiving. You can inform your current team that you would like a second opinion and further input regarding next steps, and ask them to confirm that medically you have time to seek further advice.

A second opinion may include a review of all imaging, pathology (slides sent overnight), and/or treatment recommendations at an independent institution. The second opinion institution can provide guidance regarding arranging for provision of the necessary copies and materials. Inform them of your date of diagnosis, date of surgery, and additional relevant information, so you can be seen in a timely manner.

Even if generally confirmatory, the process may be very helpful to understanding suitable options and their associated risk/benefit, better informing your decision-making. If the advice differs in some way regarding recommended additional work-up or testing, suitable options, and/or the preferred option in your case, that is important information to have.

For example, in my case, I was diagnosed with unilateral disease, and sought advice regarding initial surgical options. My imaging and pathology were reviewed in total as part of the second opinion. The radiologist recommended further imaging, which led to the diagnosis of bilateral disease. I sought treatment at the second opinion institution.

An in-person opinion has added value. Different doctors may have better communication skills or be a better match for you, and you may absorb more information in a second discussion (having heard it before and thought about it). You can prepare questions in advance about what you do not understand, what you would like to know more about, and what clinical guidelines provide in your specific situation. You can also seek information about clinical studies, whether or not the findings are applicable in your specific case, whether there are subsequent publications regarding that study, and/or additional conflicting finding or studies that alter understanding.

There are several sections with information about the second opinion process on the main site, starting here (see additional sections in menu at upper left):

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/second_opinion

Afterwards, patients are free to choose to seek treatment with their original providers and/or with those providing an additional opinion. Some members continue to rely on both for advice or certain aspects of their care.

Depending on the nature of the question, you may seek additional treatment advice from one or more of a Breast Surgeon, Radiation Oncologist, and/or Medical Oncologist. In the case of a breast surgeon, I recommend looking for a "Breast Surgeon" who specializes in the treatment of patients at risk of or with breast cancer as essentially all of their practice.

Because treatment often involves a team, the quality of the facility and depth of its staff is also important. I looked at hospitals with a comprehensive breast cancer center, and confirmed with my insurer that a second opinion was covered, and that the institution and it and its providers were in-network. For example, if you are reasonably near an NCI-designated cancer center, that may be a good option:

http://www.cancer.gov/research/nci-role/cancer-centers/find

Best,

BarredOwl

joyandpiece

Oh, Heidi000, I'm sorry to hear your news.  I can't offer medical advice, because I am not quite that far along yet.  When I told my husband that this was such bad timing for this to happen to us, he responded by asking me if I could think of a better time.  Ha! It put it in perspective.

My advice, take a deep breath and take it one step at a time and don't forget to laugh.  I hope I will be able to follow that advice, too.  I am waiting for insurance to approve the visit to the surgeon. 

Cinnamon68

Thank you so much everyone for your feed back, I went to my surgeon today and I asked my surgeon about getting the full lymph nodes removed after only having one lymph node removed and why wasn't more taken out, she said only one lit up which means I only had on sentinel lymph node some people have 2 some have 3 and some have 6 but she stated that isn't the norm and that would get in to doing a full lymph removal. And my lymph node measured 7mm which was a little bit bigger than the lump they took out and she said if the lymph node would have measured 2mm or less that she would have been thrilled and I wouldn't have to have all the lymph nodes taken out but due to the size being 7mm that she said that all the lymph nodes need to come out.

My surgeon is out of IL. her name is Dr. Sonya Sharpless and I run into people all the time who are survivors who say nothing but great things about her and that I am in good hands that her beside manor is wonderful and she also follows strict protocols as well. She went to school in Canada and with her views and outlook she's definitely not tainted by our medical industry. She follows all protocols and she does hundreds of Breasts Surgeries every year. She is also very familiar with the STUDY Z11 that was done in 2011 and she follows protocol when it comes to this.

I don't want this disease and who the HELL does but all I can do is FIGHT no matter what, even though I want to cry and let me tell you I have and I am angry and mad and just sad not all the time but a lot lately. I deal with other health issues I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ulcerative Colitis other Autoimmune Diseases my surgeon said due to my Autoimmune Diseases this is mostly how the Cancer came to be and it sure didn't help and she said I will have to watch over for life now due to all this. She also stated that I was the 3rd person she has seen in a week with RA and Cancer now and that when Autoimmune Disease are present that Cancer is a higher risk. GOD BLESS you all and thank for listening, Lots of Love and Laughs Always............HUGS!!

Optimist52

seq24, hope you're recovering well from your surgery. I see on another thread that you say you are definitely doing chemo but on this one you were going to ask about the Oncotype DX test. It sounds as if your MO isn't ordering it for you. It is recommended for anyone with your BC characteristics i.e. ER+ PR+ Her2-, less than four nodes positive. Surely you can insist that this crucial test is ordered for you. To undertake chemo without it could well be over treatment. I hate to think of people undertaking such a difficult treatment if it isn't even necessary.

As you can see from my details, I had a 4cm tumour with isolated tumour cells in two nodes, low intermediate Oncotype DX result, two MOs were adamant chemo would be overkill for me. I would be curious to know what your MO has said to you about necessity for chemo.

seq24

Hi there. Surgery went very well. Only took an hour. I was driving in 36 hours and back to work two days later. Only took 1 pain pill the whole time. I'm completely healed with no scarring at all. So that is good. Pathology came back that the tumor was a little larger than they thought but it was only in one of the 12 lymph nodes they removed.

Sorry if I am being confusing. I went to the MO yesterday for my post op visit. I went in insisting on the Oncotype test before going any further with treatment. Dr. explained (which I was never told before), that my cancer is grade 3 which is considered high and had a high Ki 67 (is that right?) rate of 33%, and is an aggressive type. She said that any oncologist in the country would agree that the Oncotype was going to come back with a high score and that she wasn't suggesting to have the test done unless it was for my own peace of mind that chemo would be necessary. She was very adamant about that. So....I am scheduled to start next week Friday. There are no words to describe my state of fear at the moment. She said I could refuse it if I want but it would cut my survival rate to 50% vs 90% if I do the chemo. My husband heard that, freaked out and he is insisting that I do it. In my mind I am thinking if I don't do it and something happens later on then I'll wish I had gone through with it, but on the other hand, if I do it and have all kinds of problems with side effects I'll wish I hadn't. I'm pretty confused right now! Didn't sleep last night thinking about all of this stuff! But that is the norm lately for me anyway.

Optimist52

Hi seq24, thanks for your answer and I'm so sorry that this has happened. I understand that Grade 3 usually does warrant chemo. The Ki 67 seems to be a little controversial in its reliability as a test from reading on this site. How is your tumour an aggressive type or is that just referring to the Grade 3? It could still be worthwhile to get the Oncotype DX test to give you detailed information about the genetic makeup of your BC. I know how difficult this time is with trying to comprehend new information coming in from different sources.

Wishing you all the best in the upcoming weeks and months.

seq24

Optomist, thank you! Right now my mind is so numb at my latest news about chemo that I can't really remember what the MO said about the aggressive nature of this cancer. I actually thought (and I need to look) that the biopsy report said it was grade 2, but the surgery report says 3. But she did say something else about it being aggressive but I can't remember at the moment. My husband was there and I will ask him when he gets home. He was writing stuff down but not sure where he put his notebook. The Dr was so kind to remind me yesterday saying that "once your chemo is over, don't forget you still have radiation and hormonal therapy. Like I could forget. I would be jumping for joy if I only had to do radiation and hormonal therapy. I might be able to focus a little if I could actually get some sleep. I have not had a good night since July 18. This has totally consumed me and I realized today that I have not even laughed in almost 2 months. That is bad! Thanks so much for your kindness, support and input.

Cinnamon68

Hi everyone,

Seq24 I just want to tell don't mess with waiting to this I think you should do the CHEMO your CANCER is aggressive and you need to be here for a long, long time!!

Please enough of this waiting game get it done and be over with it and get back to life being all it can be and healthy, happy with lots of love and laughs always!!

I'm so glad that the surgery went well and that's one step to getting this done. Take care of yourself and don't over do it .....baby steps.

Most people have to go through CHEMO and it sucks, I'm sure and I don't want to even think about it . And I sure don't want to go through it, no one does!!

But if it puts that EVIL WEED to rest for good then get it done!! This is my TOUGH LOVE I'm sorry for this, but I got a feeling your a FIGHTER and you will beat this!!

I know you can do it ......just like many others who went through CHEMO and have gone way passed the 5 year survival mark.

We owe it to OURSELVES and our FAMILY to do all we can to SURVIVE THIS!!l

Blessings to you and to everyone on this upside down whirlwind journey!!! We're gonna beat this!!

seq24

Thanks Cinnamon! I was at the MO on Monday and although I didn't know this, my cancer, although small, was upgraded from grade 2 to 3. She told me that without the chemo my survival would be 50% compared to 87-90% with full treatment. I start chemo next Friday. Still very very scared of everything that goes along with it. Have you gone through it yet? How did you feel?

I was reading something this on another site this morning about someone with 2 young children was diagnosed and refused even surgery. She had some alternate form of chemo and was on some special natural diet. She got really sick, traveled out of the country for more treatment and they discovered at least one lung was filled with tumors. She is now back in the US in some hospital and they are deciding what to do. Hearing this put things into perspective for me who has dreaded and cried about having to go through this. The realization is hard to swallow and next Friday is getting closer with each tick of the clock. Someone asked me if I was ready to fight. I couldn't even answer that. I just stood there and cried some more. How can anyone ever truly be READY to deal with this anyway?!

muska

Hi joyandpiece and welcome to the club! You made me laugh by comparing the cancerland to Moscow. I was born, raised and lived the first 36 years in Moscow, so it raises quite different memories... Everything is relative in this world but I would prefer to find myself in any remote part of the world instead of the cancerland.

All the best to you

joyandpiece

Muska, thanks for that reply.  I thought long and hard before picking a foreign city that (most) people would have never visited!  I'm glad you were able to laugh and relate, Russia is a fascination for me.  Seq24, I was glad you got back on here to update.  It seems to me like your doctors are on the right track with this.  I would hope that if they considered chemo as just an option for you in your unique situation, they would have told you so.  If there was a question, they would have probably requested the oncotype themselves.  As always though, listen to your gut feelings.  I have a surgeon picked now and am waiting for the insurance pre-auth and the appointment.  As far as the KI-67 test.  It may be somewhat unreliable, but mine was 80%, so I can't wait to get this "evil weed" as Cinnamon68 calls it, out of here.  A very good description, Cinnamon68.  A very good description.

BarredOwl

Hi seq24:

"She told me that without the chemo my survival would be 50% compared to 87-90% with full treatment."

While it may make no difference to the recommendation for chemotherapy and/or your decision, it would affect your understanding about the potential risk reduction benefit of chemotherapy in your case, so you may wish request clarification about this advice.

I suspect that when she said "with full treatment," she probably meant more than one therapeutic intervention. Did she mean the combined benefit of both systemic treatments: chemotherapy plus endocrine therapy? Other?

Ask her to explain what interventions she is including to get you from 50% to 90%.

At the same time, you may wish to confirm the nature of the risk estimates as "survival". The meaning is not clear. You may have heard "survival", but you may have missed key modifiers like the time-frame (e.g., "5-yr" or "10-yr") and the type of survival statistic (e.g., "breast cancer-specific mortality", "distant recurrence-free survival", "disease-free survival"; "recurrence-free survival"; other).

Best,

BarredOwl

Jennie93

Cinnamon, my situation was slightly different because they took 6 nodes in my SNB. We were not expecting to find any positive, nothing had shown up on the PET scan. But as it turned out there were 3 with visible cancer. I don't know if they took 6 because they were all stuck together, or if he saw the cancer in 3 and took that many more that looked ok. No one ever told me. (Later on there were some microscopic cells found in the 4th.)

Anyway, all three docs agreed - the surgeon, MO, RO, that in the past they probably would have gone back in and removed the rest of them, after results like that, but not any more. It works just as well or better to "radiate the heck out of them", which is what I ended up having done. The risk of LE is higher with all that radiation, but not as bad as if the nodes were removed.

seq24, I was right where you are now, almost 4 years ago. Went into surgery being told that it would just be a MX and tamoxifen for 5 years, which seemed doable, then a few days later was floored by the news that I would need chemo & rads after all. In fact I think my very first post on here was a big whine about why do I have to do this chemo thing? Ha. I got some good advice. I can try to find that thread if you'd like to read it.