Positive Lymph Nodes

CarolynT

Is it true that you can't survive breast cancer when your lymph nodes are positive?

Hopeful82014

Absolutely not! It may mean more treatment (a higher likelihood of chemotherapy and more radiation than otherwise) but it is by no means hopeless nor a death sentence.

However, it's definitely a blow to learn that one's nodes are involved and I won't deny that. Emotionally it's scary news that no one wants to hear. It's not the end of the world, however, and the upside is that it may qualify one for clinical trials that wouldn't have been an option otherwise.

labelle

I certainly hope not. I had a positive node but no chemo was recommended due to a low Oncotype score. Having a positive node definitely was scary news for me but my oncologist says my odds of never having a recurrence are about 90% if I keep taking anti-hormonal drugs-80% if I don't. That means 80 - 90 women out of 100 with my pathology will be fine. That is a long ways from no survivors!

We are not in as good a shape as the stage 1 gals, with a +95% survival rate, but having positive nodes is in no way a death sentence.

Anonymous

Absolutely, positively not. There are millions of women who had positive nodes when dx and have since gone on to live a natural lifespan and die of something else. Where did you hear that?

+ nodes put us at higher risk, and if you have them, treatment might be different than those who don't, but tx is also crafted by tumor size, grade, hormonal status, HER2 status, and other data. If you have + nodes you might be followed more closely (I am).

bc and outcomes are driven by many other things than simply the pathology report: BMI/weight, exercise, diet, exposure to environmental pollution, age at dx, subtype of bc, etc.

But a guarantee of no survival? No way. There are no guarantees or absolutes with this disease, which is what makes little c so frightening.

Claire

Kicks

WRONG! I speak from personal experience - 7 yrs ago DXd S IBC and all 19 lymph nodes removed during surgery were positive - so neither being IBC or with all nodes being positive kept me from surviving very nicely - still NED (No Evidence of Disease) and as active as ever.

Melinda0628

Thats good to hear. I just had a BMX on 11/25 and I had 13/13 on my left and 3/5 on my right. I really gave been depressed. I just had a PET scan today and worried about those results. Have a follow up tomorriw with my BS.