Biopsy tomorrow

Dcer

I'm writing for my wife and well maybe my nervousness. Her doc found a lump in her breast last week and thus ordered an ultrasound and mammogram today. The radiologist said that the lump was not concerning however there were 3 lymph nodes that she wanted biopsied. My wife can't remember if the radiologist referred to the nodes as "replaced" or maybe "reactive".

Regardless, We're unsmderstanbly scared. Does anyone have insight into if swollen lymphs that need to be biopsied are generally cancerous? What else could it be?

She is 37, healthy/active, and feels absolutely fine...

Thank you all for your time

MinusTwo

Sorry Dcer, I don't have an answer. Hopefully someone else will come along soon & chime in. Lymph nodes swell for lots of reasons. Wishing that your wife's nodes are B-9.

marie5890

That is a hard question to answer, because what you know is so non-specific and we don't know exactly why the radiologist wants to have them biopsied. They must look different enough where the radiologist is at least being cautious/prudent. There are other things that can make lymph nodes swell besides cancer (i.e. an infection, a cold, etc)

Most biopsies come back negative for cancer.

Get a copy of the radiologist report and post it here if you are comfortable. We may be able to better help you understand when we know what the radiologist saw and why they want biopsies done.

djmammo

Dcer

When describing lymph nodes on imaging studies the terms reactive and replaced have opposite meanings.

I have seen people get enlarged lymph nodes under the arm from an infection in that arm. Those are reactive lymph nodes. When someone has a cancer that has spread to the regional nodes and the nodes are so full of tumor they are no longer recognizable as lymph nodes they are said to be totally replaced.

For me the most helpful information about abnormal nodes is :l

1) distribution. Is it confined to one axilla, or is it both? Is it also in the neck and groin etc? If in many areas of the body I would be worried about systemic disease.

2) what is the internal architecture of the enlarged node? Hi res US with an 18 MHz transducer can usually see the interface between the central fatty hilum of the node and the cortex of the node. If the cortex is very thick and is compressing the central fat that is worrisome. If the node is enlarged and the fat is rather abundant and the cortex is thin, I am not worried.