42 out of 43 Positive Lymph nodes

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Rbwbs2
Rbwbs2 Member Posts: 3
edited June 2018 in Stage III Breast Cancer

I had 42 of 43 lymph nodes come back positive so doctor started me on Ibrance. He said he was on the fence about starting Ibrance since all my scans are clean and blood work is good. He has told em im stage 3.5 if not 4, just wonder if there are others out there with as many positive lymph nodes and what your treatment plan is

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  • TectonicShift
    TectonicShift Member Posts: 752
    edited July 2020

    .

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  • hopefour
    hopefour Member Posts: 459
    edited June 2018

    TectonicShift is very up on the last info for BC so I'd encourage listening to her counsel. I on the other hand am simply here to say welcome and that I have a woman in my community that had all 32 nodes taken out be positive. She called to encourage me 7 years ago and she was 5 years out then..so she's 12 years out now and still doing well. So there is Hope!!

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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited June 2018

    I posted something for you to look at on your other thread. I posted so you would see why you had 43 lymph nodes instead of 10. So someone with say 9of 9 nodes positive is equivalent to you 42 out 43 nodes.

    The number of nodes can vary. Did you see the link?

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  • Rbwbs2
    Rbwbs2 Member Posts: 3
    edited June 2018

    I did not see the article and not sure how to navigate back to my original post

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  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited June 2018

    To the left of whatever page you are on, look in the blue column, and go to dashboard. Look on that page and you will find all your posts, click on them.

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  • YATCOMW
    YATCOMW Member Posts: 664
    edited June 2018

    One of the first people I was connected with was an attorney who went into surgery on 9/11/2001 of all days.......when she came out of surgery she was told that all of her nodes were just wrapped in a ball full of cancer....she didn't know how many nodes she had but they were all a hot mess. Her tumor was also 5 cm.

    She is still doing well coming up on 17 years post surgery in September.

    I had at least 17 out of 24 and am now 14 years out.

    Hang in there....TectonicShift's message is spot on.

    Don't get caught up on one thing because if it was just about nodes and size of tumor....Both of us might not have gotten this far.

    Jacqueline

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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited June 2018

    ok let me post it. It will make you feel a bit better. It is from this site.

    http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/lymp...

    When they remove lymph nodes they aren't removing them one by one but take out a section of tissue. Under pathology they usually find about 10 but sometimes get 30 or more. I never knew that and was always wondering why some people have 9 out 10 show cancer and some have more like you 42 of 43. You have alot of nodes with cancer but maybe no different than someone with 9 out of 10.

    Also in your patholgy it show classify what is found like microscopic less than 2mm, and 2 other categories the worst showing cancer penetrating outside the node.

    Hope this helps.

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  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited June 2018

    Very helpful, I think so, Meow!!!

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  • dya
    dya Member Posts: 35
    edited June 2018

    Hi,

    I'm in a similar boat than you. 25/26 lymph nodes. Stage iiic cancer. Once we got the pathology, oncologist said I had a nasty form of cancer, that I'm on the edge of stage iii and iv... I'm still in active treatment, but I'm doing well at the moment. You can see my signature for what I've gotten so far. 25 rads to come in the next few weeks.

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  • urdrago71
    urdrago71 Member Posts: 559
    edited June 2018

    Mewo, thank you for the link very helpful. I have positive node clusters axillary I and II, surgery is after chemo but with the images I understand allot more

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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited June 2018

    dya, sometimes I think the more aggressive grade 3 cancers respond much better to the chemo, now being her2 positive is seen almost as an advantage because you can have herceptin and perjeta. Plus her2+ cancer research is showing some really encouraging results. My oncologist had a patient in the her2 vaccine trial here in Seattle. Good luck to you all. I had 3 nodes removed luckily no cancer.

    Also want to tell you a friend and coworker had 10+ lymph nodes removed all loaded with cancer, she was stage 3c grade 3, her2 negative but er and pr positive. She did bmx, chemo, radiation twice, hormone treatment. Her daughter was 6 months old, it was 1994 or 95. She is still cancer free daughter graduated college. She was the one who convinced me to do the DIEP reconstruction.

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  • maryland
    maryland Member Posts: 1,298
    edited June 2018

    This is the best way the node thing was described to me. Think of the axillary as a blueberry muffin. Some have 43 blueberries while others have 11. The blueberries job are to catch and filter the cancer. In your case it's probably lucky you had so many blueberries because it was discovered before it got to the last blueberry and then into the rest of the lymph system. Perhaps if you'd only had 6 lymph nodes in that area it would have metastasized elsewhere. Anyway, my simple brain was able to process it this way having had 10 of my 11 blueberries bursting at the seam. Don't know if this analogy will help you but it helped me.

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