A quick question for cancer survivors (who have had surgery)

[CandyEnclosingInvisible]

If you have had any surgery for cancer, please can you tell me, just yes or no, whether your surgery included the removal of any lymph node

After my own surgery I was told that the surgeon made sure to include a neighbouring lymph node in the material removed, so that it could be analysed to check for any spread of cancer cells, and that good news - no trace of cancer spread. This is great.

What I'd like to know is - how normal a part of cancer surgery is it to remove a lymph node to make this kind of check - does it happen every time?

Yes, clear

You should have been informed prior to the surgery however

Bowel cancer, yes over 20 removed.

Thanks very much. Just to update I have no problem or objection to having had the lymph node removed.

I am trying to establish to what extent "cancer survivor who had surgery for tumor removal" overlaps as a category with "people who have had at least one lymph node removed" which has a bearing on the validity of a particular dispute.

Just to clarify where it's been said a node is "clear", this means no detectable signs of cancer by the testing mechanism used. Yes, it is generally good news but not the same as the misleading terms "all clear", "cancer free" etc Cancer can also spread via the blood stream.

Yes.

I had 20 removed and it turned out to have spread to 12 of them.

Yes, it’s normal. I had cancer in a gland which was not a lymph node (plus the original primary cancer). I had 63 neighbouring lymph nodes removed. Yes, 63!! Some of them showed reactive changes (inflammation), but no cancer.

That said, even after surgery and adjuvant treatment for a year and getting the all clear, mine still came back a few weeks later 🤷🏻‍♀️ so it’s a very tentative all clear for lots of people unfortunately.

Depends on the cancer. I had four sentinel nodes removed for breast cancer , which were clear. But I developed stage 4 breast cancer within a couple of years anyway.

DH has had cancer twice. Neither time did they remove sentinel lymph nodes

2008 lumpectomy right breast BC, sentinel node affected so all lymph nodes removed. 2016 BC left breast, lumpectomy, no nodes affected.

Right arm can ache and I make allowances for it, but no swelling 🤞

Yes. I had a single mastectomy, and the surgeon removed 2 lymph nodes as well. There was no sign of spread, and having been analysed they decided no further nodes needed to be removed.

Good luck OP xx

I had 7 removed with local wide excision and only 1 had microscopic cells in so they didn’t need to do a full clearance as was having radiotherapy after.

Yes l had 2 removed as a precaution on left breast.

Yes, I had breast cancer, had a lumpectomy and sentinel node removed, my understanding is that this is usual for breast cancer, and I imagine for other cancers as well.

S3T1 bowel cancer. Removed node nearest to tumor.
No cancer in node. Tumer removed and I like to think kicked into the incinerator like Ripley threw the zenomorph out of the hatch in her loader.
Still 6 weeks of chemo left but that's just a belt and braces job.

Yes, I had cancer in both breasts and complete node clearance.

Yes, me too! Still here 24 years on, genuine life saver.

Yes totally normally. I had 35 removed x

Yes I had that but unfortunately it didn't work so I had 3 lymph nodes removed (breast cancer). Found in all 3 nodes so had another 11 removed and 2 of those were cancerous. That was 12 years ago now.

I didn't know until I had mine removed that everyone has a different amount of nodes.

I had my tonsils removed ( part of the lymphatic system) for Lymphoma. Luckily no others were involved.

No for early womb cancer as no evidence pre op of any local spread.

Yes

A friend had a lumpectomy due to stage 1 BC and had one lymph node removed on the BC side to check if the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes. She got the all clear. She and her doctors were all relieved.

Migration of cancers into the lymphatic system is a complication that might require a more aggressive approach to treatment and subsequent monitoring.

Breast cancer 7years ago. Lumpectomy and sentinel node plus three others removed. All nodes clear.

They remove a lymph node to check whether it's spread. If nodes are clear you're good because that's the path the cancer takes. If nodes are affected they usually go back and remove more until they reach a clear one.

Long term some numbness in shoulder and arm. Breast scar tissue painful.

Yes. Two sentinel nodes were removed one was clear the other was full and encapsulated. Had to have chemo and RT.

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@2dogsandabudgie

In Kent?

Sending ❤️ to everyone on this thread. We’ve been through (and some still going through it) some tough times.