2nd Time Cancer

SpThay

Hello,

I had breast cancer in 2012 and has a left mastectomy.

New development -- I now have 3 suspicious hypoechoic lymph node in the right axilla - 1.2 cm at 9:30 position and another 1.2 hypoechoic thick cortex lymph node at 10 oclock position. There was another node but that did not have a thickening. They were classified as BIRADS Suspcious abnormality(4). These have grown slightly from 2016.

I got a biopsy done - in January 2018 - but it seems that the biopsy done was such that it got the inner core of the lymph node because the result of that biopsy was that it is adipose tissue. I am not sure which of the 3 were biopsied. I think it may have been the one which did not have the thickening because when I went for a followup now (April 2018) the radiologist said that the 2 ones (perhaps with the cortical thickening are juicy and suspicious). he also said that the outer ring was not biopsied. this is sad == I had asked the surgeon doing the biopsy if it was possible that the part with cancer was not extracted during biopsy but he said no - he got the sample needed. and, I am now very concerned because I am having to go through this again 

I have to get an mri and biopsy done again because he said that if it was not cancer the size of the lymph node had decreased , but in my case it has increased from 2016 though it is stable from jan 2018. my first cancer in 2012 was slow growing so it seems this is a good chance of cancer. I am 44 years old. 

any thoughts? 

wallycat

Is it possible to discuss this with your breast surgeon and ask that they remove those nodes completely? Good luck.

SpThay

I think that’s a nice idea. Though I hope it isn’t cancer - I’m waiting to get MRI and the biopsy will follow. Since it already feels like cancer, it seems as if treatment has started. Mri the date earliest I’m getting is may 9th, I’ve requested and earlier Mri because after that it’s biopsy and then waiting g for result.

Should I ask the nodes removed fully before biopsy is scheduled? I have my surgeon appointment tmorrow

KBeee

I definitely would ask the surgeon if it is wise just to remove them. I suspect they will want the MRI anyway to see if there are any other suspicious areas. Keep us posted.

SpThay

Thank you -- I'm still waiting to get MRI done - May 8th is when it's scheduled. it seems a very long wait, the surgeon is waiting to decide to do anything only after MRI. 

thank you

KBeee

You can call each day to see if they have any cancellations to get you in sooner.

SpThay

I did that for the MRI and somehow none opened. the day before the mri - 8th - a car crashed into mine, so i had that cancelled. im fortunately unharmed though it left me shaken up. i had an u/s done instead today to be followed by petscan Friday this week. at first i couldn't get PETscan approved but because of car crash and the hospital visit for scan they found abnormal cells in my lungs, which could be indicative of metastasis. today after my u/s im more concerned because they clearly found one cell which is round and cortical thickened 6mm and 1.6 cm. this should have been the one biopsied and sadly the last time doc biopsied it, he didn't get any lymphoid tissue. so im scared, saved in the crash to go through cancer again, i wonder?

doc said he is concerned because my cortical thickening is on a rounded lymph node, if it were c shaped it would be less visually risky. also since it is only one lymph node is is more concerning than if there were many similar ones.

how do PETscan results work? do cortical thickened cells always light up?