Can Negative Nodes still result in Mets or Recur?

Tulip...

Cancer cells can unfortunatly travel through the blood stream as well. So the answer to your questions is "YES".

thats why chemo is given. In Dr. susan Loves Breast Book she stated that 30% of patients with negative lymph nodes will develop a recurrence of some kind. But I look at it..70% won't!!!

I was node negative and didn't recur or have mets...I had a new primary, on the other side, 7 1/2 months after ending chemo. Two mastectomies later I found out I am BRCA 2+. Anything is possible with cancer...

Linda

Yes, indeed metastasis can take place with clear nodes. I had a great prognosis with my early stage BC with a smallish tumor and clear nodes. But I had initial signs of mets to the brain less than a year out of chemo.

My late sister's tumor was only ~8mm and it metastasized to her brain in nine months, despite having clear nodes - 0/12. Sometimes even a tiny tumor can still be very aggressive.

There are no guarantees. You have to live while you're alive and kickin'!

Lisa

Yes it can My best friend was cancer free for nine years no nodes involved Did have mets to the hips and ribs Again ok for 9 years    now a new cancer in the pancreas and mets to the brain

Sadly, yes, it does indeed happen. There are so many ways this sneaky diisease can find a way to survive. But we just have to be vigilant, and learn to live with uncertainties. That's not to suggest we should drive ourselves into a panic over every ache or pain-if we do that, we really are allowing the cancer to win, as it would dominate our lives-something I have vowed not to do. Obviously there are times when concerns do arise-at whatever stage of being "stable"/NED we may be. I was diagnosed with mets 12 years after primary diagnosis-with only several positive nodes, so I felt my chance of recurrence was theoretically small. I completely agree with Sherri-statistics are pretty useless in establishing who may/may not be at risk. 

Tulip, just like everybody else, we just keep on going...None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow.....Whether we ar BC survivors or just your average Joe......We all just go on living...And that is the key word...LIVING.......We learn to live with this disease whether we are stage 0 or stage IV........If we dwell on bc then bc wins and we will NOT let bc win!....Not if we can help it.......You have to learn to go on with your life and deal with things as they come not as you think of them......I myself take it one day at a time.....I try not to let the thought of recurrence sneak into my thoughts.....I am so far NED (No Evidence of Disease)..And I hope to stay that way til I die of old age....I wish you the best of luck tulip......Try not to dwell on it all the time.......I know it is hard not to at first but as time goes on you learn how to manage your fears.......

I had a negative sentinal node. All my axillary nodes were negative, but I had a positive inframammary node in my chest. It couldn't be removed, but was targeted during rads and I had A/C chemo.  Since my lump was on the inner side of the breast, the CA cells went to the IM node chain instead of axillary nodes. 

Just saying that sometimes sentinal nodes can be clear, but CA goes another route.

I have not recurred up to now.