When do supraclavicular node require surgical removal?
I am diagnosed with invasive lobular cancer with -/-/+ (her2 strong positive). It has invaded many lymph node, including my left collar bone nodes (supraclavicular nodes). I am stage 3c. I am in the middle of chemo targeted therapy(TCHP) cycles.
I was told that at the end of TCHP, if there is still high SUV value for that location in new PET/CT scan, they will do a biopsy there and possibly surgical removal of those nodes.
May I ask if recent guideline is to surgical removal supraclavicular nodes (if they are active) at the end of chemo? It is a surgery with high risk. Does it really improve the survival rate compared to systemic treatment and radiation therapy?
Does anyone have experience in this and want to share?
Comments
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Hi @cywell, we are sorry for the worries that have led you to our site. Supraclavicular lymph nodes are typically not removed unless there is a lot of active cancer; if your systemic treatment is successful in significantly reducing the amount of active cancer there, then targeted radiation therapy may be recommended as sufficient. You can refer to the NCCN guidelines for current standard of care treatments.
Please ask your oncologist if you have any concerns. A second opinion (or two) may also be helpful if you're uncertain with your team's treatment plans.
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