How common is a recurrence in lymph nodes on non BC side?

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MiamiM
MiamiM Member Posts: 4
edited June 2014 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

Hello all,

I am writing for my wife, for whom I a bit concerned. She has been complaining of a pain in her left armpit area that extends to the implant. She had stage III IDC and had quite a bit of lymph node involvement on the right side. No cancer was found on the left side, but she decided to have a double mastectomy. She has since been through six rounds of TAC, 33 rounds of radiation on the right breast and armpit area, two years of tamoxifen, and almost one year of two different aromatase inhibitors. 

She did develop lymphedema in the right arm, gets manual lymphatic drainage, and is otherwise doing well. She is in good health and is very active. But, this pain has us both a bit worried and will definitely come up during the next doctor's appointment.

My question is how common is it to have a recurrence on the other side/lymph nodes from where the cancer was found, especially following a double mastectomy? The pathology report found no cancer on the left breast, confirming what the scans had shown. Also, I should note that because of her lymphedema, my wife is more or less over reliant on her left arm. Could this perhaps be the reason?

Worried husband

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  • kathleen1966
    kathleen1966 Member Posts: 793
    edited October 2012

    I think it would be unusual for breast cancer to recur in the lymph nodes on the other side. That would mean the cancer was skipping a whole lot of nodes to get there. It could be related to the implants some-how (scar tissue, infection), or if it were to be cancer, I think it would be a new cancer.  I hope it is nothing but I wouldn't wait for the next doctors appointment.  I would have it looked at. The peace of mind you will have when it is found to be nothing will be wonderful!

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited October 2012

    Miami, I agree with Kathleen that a quick check-in with her oncologist will get to the heart of the matter and put your minds at ease.

    Since she had bilateral surgeries she is at risk for both arm and truncal lymphedema on both her right and left sides. In addition, if her manual lymph drainage has been directing lymph fluid to the right axilla from her affected arm, that can easily overwhelm the compromised lymph system on the left side and result in lymphedema in that area as well. Truncal lymphedema is common in the area you've described and you may or may not notice any swelling in the early stages. It is often quite painful, and the pain is usually not responsive to pain meds. Here's information about truncal lymphedema:
    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/breast_chest_trunckal_lymphedema.htm

    Hoping you get good answers soon, and that there's a quick fix!
    Be well,
    Binney

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