All Topics → Forum: Waiting for Test Results → Topic: Clinically Node Negative
Posted on: May 25, 2012 10:15 PM
sduch1 wrote:
Does anyone know the significance of being clinically node negative? They were unable to detect anything in my lymph nodes in the CT scan and Breast MRI that I had done as part of diagnosis. I am currently undergoing neo-adjuvant chemotherapy/herceptin and I am almost done which means that I will be scheduling my surgery next. I am worried about lymph node involvement.
Posts 1 - 16 (16 total)
May 25, 2012 10:23 PM markat wrote:
That's a good thing. With neoadjuvant it can be confusing because you never really know where you started from. I showed lymph node involvement in my scans but then was clear after chemo when they took out a few nodes. Best wishes to you!
May 25, 2012 10:40 PM, edited May 25, 2012 10:41 PM by kayb
Your surgeon can still do a SNB when your chemo is over. If you have any node involvement it should show up then. I was clinically node negative before neo chemo and that was confirmed pathologically at the time of my surgery.
May 26, 2012 09:39 AM sduch1 wrote:
Thank you! My surgeon said they would be able to tell if there was any chemo activity in the nodes at the time of surgery. Did they say that it's a good thing if your lymph nodes are clear after neo-chemo? I will be getting more chemo (AC) after surgery.
May 26, 2012 09:45 AM sduch1 wrote:
I am wondering how reliable clinically node negative is and how often they find it in the nodes at time of surgery.
May 26, 2012 10:04 AM kayb wrote:
I don't know the answer to your last question. I've never seen stats on that so maybe it doesn't happen much.
And yes! It's always better to have clear nodes! I hope it all works out well for you. When do you expect to have surgery?
May 26, 2012 10:10 AM patti13 wrote:
my nodes were clear with all tests up until time of surgery....10/12 positive....hoping that doesn't happen often....
May 26, 2012 10:14 AM kayb wrote:
Yikes, Patti! That must have been a shock to you and your doctors. I know ILC is harder to spot in the breast on some scans. Does it affect the nodes that way too?
May 26, 2012 10:22 AM patti13 wrote:
not sure - they weren't swollen or painfull - but hard and not healthy - yep - it was a shock! BUT - i year and 1 month from diag.....still feeling OK.....I get nervous when I think about it...but i really need to get on with life.
May 26, 2012 10:36 AM kayb wrote:
It's impossible to not think about it some of the time, but good to hear you're doing well! I just passed my 2 year mark. It's hard to fathom all that's been crammed into those 24 months.
May 26, 2012 10:39 AM, edited May 26, 2012 10:40 AM by wildrumara
I was clinically node negative on ultrasound, MRI, PET/CT at my initial diagnosis before I started chemotherapy. After my neoadjuvant chemo was completed, I had an MRI and there was still nothing showing in the nodes. During my BMX when they checked the sentinel nodes, 2/3 were positive! I ended up having an ALND for a total of 20 removed. Thankfully, only those first two sentinels had some cancer in them.....UGH! My friend is a pathologist at the hospital where I had my surgery and actually looked at all my specimens. She told me that there was no dead tissue in any of the other nodes, so it is safe to say that those were the only two that were positive, but I do wonder if they were actually more involved with cancer before chemotherapy?? Apparently they just passed out of the micrometastatic threshold into metastatic. That's the negative thing about neoadjuvant....you don't really know. Obviously, if you have a complete pathologic response, you know that it worked great. Most often, ER/PR+, Her2 negative gals, grade 1-2, won't respond as well to chemo , at least that is what everyone of my team members have said to me......and I've also read that. I just keep hoping that Tamoxifen is going to be my best ammunition!!!
May 26, 2012 12:57 PM kayb wrote:
I'm triple positive but I'm only weakly ER/PR positive and I had pCR. I think my cancer may have behaved more like an ER- cancer, but I'm on an AI. My Onc said it may still be helpful so I'm hoping I can tough it out for the whole 5 years!
May 26, 2012 02:01 PM wildrumara wrote:
KAYB - That makes sense.......you are almost triple negative, plus Her2+......your cancer should have responded well to chemotherapy!
May 26, 2012 03:28 PM sduch1 wrote:
My surgery is scheduled for 6/29. I'm very nervous for it. My last treatment before surgery is next Friday.
May 26, 2012 04:14 PM kayb wrote:
sduch - im sorry youre so worried about surgery. It is nervewracking waiting. I was nervous too until about 4 days before mine. I just had this complete calm come over me and i knew I could handle it.
Try to stay busy, exercise as much as is comfortable and do something nice for yourself. I went to visit my sister so I could walk on the beach. Very helpful.
BTW - my Onc kept me on weekly Herceptin infusions between my last chemo and surgery. I appreciated that a lot. I felt like I was still keeping the cancer at bay.
May 26, 2012 04:17 PM kayb wrote:
Wildrumara - thanks for that. It just makes sense. My tumor was nearly gone after my first round of FEC - very quick response.
May 26, 2012 08:46 PM steelersluver wrote:
I was also clear in all tests prior to my mastectomy and SNB on 5/11/12. One sentinel node was found to be involved, but none of the other 15 nodes taken were. It was a shock to wake up to for me for sure.