Size vs # of nodes

Options
2»

Comments

  • starbeauty
    starbeauty Member Posts: 327
    edited September 2011

    Well said Faithfulheart



    thank you for the aspirin info beeb

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • CherylinOhio
    CherylinOhio Member Posts: 623
    edited December 2011

    ok went to the cancer math site, what a bummer!! Don't go there if you are lookling for something positive. I am hoping I did it wrong. Now I have to go find some positive survivior stories.

    Cry

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jennyboog
    jennyboog Member Posts: 1,322
    edited December 2011

    Cheryl, stay away from any of those sites, they only bum you out for no reason.  When I enter my info. it has me as a IIIa and I can't even list that I had IBC and IDC or intermammary +LN's.  In other words you're not going to get an accurate percentage plus, I think those stats are with no tx....they aren't God :)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • silvergrl
    silvergrl Member Posts: 13
    edited December 2011

    ckgrayoh, and many,

    With my numbers I have a 171% chance of recurrence, without any treatment - that said, my onc knocked the crap out of me, and I am here to worry about mets 4 years and 11 months after my DX.  Glad to hear that there are other "mega nodes" out there with me, and while my surgeon nearly cried when she gave me my pathology, I wouldn't let her give me a "prognosis".  So, beeb75, while I appreciate the cancermath, I have to say, NUTS to working out whose going to be beaten by this crappy disease based on stats!  How old are the stats, how old are the patients, and how much of a tsunami of treatment have they been chucked through!  Feeling totally empowered after writing this post!  Bring on the Zometa BABY!  Hasn't gotten me yet!!!! 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • CherylinOhio
    CherylinOhio Member Posts: 623
    edited December 2011

    You guys are right!  How can that or any site fully get our treatment, or the fact that we excercise, take vitamins, take fish oil, etc.  Silvergrl you are an inspiration to me! I was worried about having so many pos nodes and ppl taking a sharp breath in when I told them but hey I feel like my nodes did their job by absorbing the C and not letting into my body. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited December 2011

    If you read the study, it is clearly based on statistics WITHOUT treatment figured into the equation, or any of the other positive things bc patients do to lower their risk of recurrance.  It is good for those who must rely on "scientific evidence" for their comfort.

     I thought it was good to have this information to factor in to all of the other things that I am doing to prevent recurrance.  I don't plan to "do nothing" therefore I can lower my risk even further with diet, exercise, supplementation, and any treatments that I might opt to take.  Boosting the immune system and getting my body into optimal shape to fight bc is the number one priority for me.

     Knowing my risk for recurrance through this study and the oncotype testing gives me the necessary information that I need, so that I know the maximum amount of effort I must put into prevention going forward.  That is the only reason I would want this information...not as a negative...but to use as a positive in fighting my bc.  

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • schrodeo
    schrodeo Member Posts: 6
    edited December 2011

    What is ILC?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • NancyD
    NancyD Member Posts: 3,562
    edited December 2011

    ILC= Invasive Lobular Carcinoma

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • myrtle1
    myrtle1 Member Posts: 29
    edited December 2011
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ck55
    ck55 Member Posts: 346
    edited December 2011

    Queenie11, You know the funny thing is that I started this thread and it really was not about having "many node" positive. I was asking if anyone knew which was considered more predictive of a recurrence - positive nodes or size of tumor?

    Funny how these threads morph into other things. It is very interesting to watch.

    But if anyone has an answer to my original question, I would love to hear it Smile

    Kaara, I am glad you are doing well also. Please feel free to post here whenever you want. We are all in this shit boat together!

    Cyndi

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Beeb75
    Beeb75 Member Posts: 325
    edited December 2011

    Ck55,

    The answer is -- depends on the person and the pathology.

    In a person with a 1 cm tumor and 8 positive nodes, it is the nodes increasing the recurrence risk.

    In someone with an 8 cm tumor and 1 node, it is the size that is more responsible for the recurrence risk. 

    But it's not an either/or...the two factors get added together to come up with the recurrence risk. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited December 2011

    "treatment...exercise....and pray."

     Yep, I have read and pondered and concluded that it is quite the crap shoot. I will take good care of myself, but other than that, I don't think there is much point in trying to weigh my chances. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited December 2011

    My sister in law had more involved nodes than you when she was DXed and treated 16 years ago. Granted, we do joke that she is so evil that Death doesn't want to mess with her ;) , but still.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • bak94
    bak94 Member Posts: 1,846
    edited December 2011

    I had trip neg 3.5 cm tumor with 2 microscopic positive nodes 9 years ago, no recurrence so far. New primary diganosed 3/11 trip neg again 2 cm lump but the darn thing had already spread to my internal mammary nodes and a node just beyond my im nodes. This new primary did have 3% pos er, but basically the only difference in the report. I think it is odd that the bigger tumor did not spread as much as the smaller tumor, with close to the same characteristics. I think it could be location of the tumor, new one was more centrally located and closer to chest wall. So I just think there are so many things that can influence the way the cancer spreads or does not spread, more than even just the path report.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Fearless_One
    Fearless_One Member Posts: 3,300
    edited December 2011

    Both factors affect staging.    But I can tell you that size of tumor does not necessarily mean aggressive tumor.    My aunts tumor was 3 X the size of mine, and she had NO node involvement.   My tumor was small, and I had node involvement, mine was more aggressive (even broke through the node into the tissue) .    You have to look at all factors combined. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited December 2011

    I'm glad I found this thread, because I'm waiting on my final pathology from surgery.  I only had the SN removed and am hoping it is clear, but if not, based on finding this thread, and doing further research, I was able to determine that I won't need to have additional nodes removed.  The long term survival rates, with proper treatment to the node area, don't change all that much with or without add'l nodes removed.

    I have a very small low grade tumor and thought that it could not spread, but based on what I'm reading, that may not be so.  I feel it's better to be educated about all the options, even if they aren't all that positive, so I continue to do research. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 116
    116 Member Posts: 108
    edited December 2012

    Not sure about the tumor size vs positive nodes, but when I mentioned to my oncologist that I felt pretty positive since I had a low grade 1 tumor, he responded that the number of nodes is more important than the grade in determining recurrence. I also then read somewhere that high grade tumors respond better to chemo than low grades, since the low grade was so similar to regular cells. Not sure about the truth of that? My oncologist also told me it did not really matter that my nodes were matted, which really scared me, so I felt better about that. Anyway I have always tried to be positive, console myself by telling myself I had a small tumor, low grade, and relative low number of nodes. And that life is just unpredictable, with or without breast cancer diagnosis,,,,,,,,,,,,,

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • seacretgardn
    seacretgardn Member Posts: 269
    edited December 2011

    I know I'm bending from the topic, but can anyone explain the vast difference amongst us in the amount of nodes removed?



    Thanks!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited December 2011

    Seacretgardn:  I'm no expert, but it seems there are several ways to proceed, and a lot may have to do with the stage and grade of the bc, as to how aggressive the BS is in taking out nodes.

    I have early stage l grade l, very small tumor, so my BS said he would do the lumpectomy and only wanted to take the sentinel node for biopsy.  His explanation was that why take all the auxillary nodes only to find that there was no spread, and then there are bad SE's from doing that.  He further explained that even if the SN contained cancer cells, that taking out more nodes made little or no difference in the long term survival rates, so why do it.  I found studies to back up his statement.

    Someone more experienced than me on this thread may have a completely different explanation. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • seacretgardn
    seacretgardn Member Posts: 269
    edited December 2011

    Thank you for your reply Kaara.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dillymonster
    dillymonster Member Posts: 24
    edited December 2011

    Thanks for suggesting that web site. I found it informative.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • AnacortesGirl
    AnacortesGirl Member Posts: 1,758
    edited December 2011

    seacretgardn -

    Surgeon often refer to 3 level of axillary nodes.  Levels 1 and 2 are located in your armpit and right below.  The third level is on the body side of the shoulder and tucked under a muscle.  Every women has a different number of nodes.  My surgeon said that she had seen as few as 5 and as many as 50.  In my case I was getting a modified radical mast which meant they were taking levels 1 and 2.  Turns out to be 17 nodes for me.  During surgery the doc used her fingers to feel the 3rd level.  Since she didn't feel anything of concern she left them alone. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited December 2011

    "can anyone explain the vast difference amongst us in the amount of nodes removed? "

    My surgeon said that the number of nodes a person has varies a great deal. When he cleans the nodes, he cleans a particular area. How many he removes depends on how many there are in that area. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kay_G
    Kay_G Member Posts: 3,345
    edited December 2011

    I am glad I am not the only one who didn't want to hear a prognosis. As i've been told, statistics only matter for researchers looking at populations, not for individuals. For an individual, it's either all or nothing, comes back or doesn't, it doesn't come back 15%. Congrats on nearly five years silver girl! Thanks for posting your story.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories