Lymph node visibility in imaging

Hi

This is my first message on here.  I am reaching out to make sure i am using the site correctly.

I have recently had a scan that showed up abnormality in two of my left armpit lymph nodes which led to further testing and a 1 cm lump was found in my left breast and my GP has advised diagnosis has come back with a 95% + chance of cancer.

I have an upcoming appointment with a Surgical team and my understaning is i will need to have a biopsy to determine if it is cancer and what stage.  

I have listened to a couple of podcasts and read a lot of messages and have found it to be helpful already.  I look forward to having a network of people that i can ask questions, share concerns and understand what i may be going through in the not to distant future.

Please let me know if i am on the right track for what this page is intended for.

Kind regards

A little update because I met my breast care nurse today.

She had a sozo BIS machine which was the easiest thing I've had to do so far - stand and hold onto it for 30 seconds and it measured various things to create a baseline to monitor for lymphoedema. Ideally it would have been done before the sentinel node biopsy but at least we've got data before axillary dissection.

She's going to track down information about my breast density and it sounds like MRIs will be an option for future monitoring.

And I've got a few printouts to read about lymphoedema.

Hi Moomincorn.  I had a similar initial diagnosis as you and during surgery they found a second lump and lymph node involvement and a follow up MRI and more surgery found more.  It was a huge shock at the time as I had no idea that some scans don’t show everything - particularly if you have dense breasts.  I now have annual MRI scans as we know that mammograms and ultrasounds won’t detect everything in my breasts.  I encourage the women around me to ask about their breast density so they can request MRIs or at the least have a conversation with their GP or surgeon about the most suitable scans for them.   Talk with your surgeon once you are through your treatment about the best scans / process for surveillance.  

Hang in there and always ask questions to clarify anything.  It is a confusing, daunting time but you work through it.  

Take care x

Its kinda good they caught them  and they showed up in a scan and now you can remove them .At least they checked and didn't assume nothing was there when only a smal tumor in breast. 

Each scan has different views and done for different reasons and can see different things. Nodes are quite small and grouped and would be hard to see changes .

Cancer by nature are mutants cells and unpredictable.

It very common to have a pre surgery/ chemo test  say one thing  when they only take a tiny biopsy of one node , then the results change later after some treatment  and surgery when they can get bigger sample for more patholgy . Or even have  very early BC ,chemo , double masectomy  with recon , then cancer cells turn up later  and need axillary  dissection.

Lymph nodes are  weird, its funny how there is no standard number everyone has. They do their job and filter. 

Do make sure you get a presurgery ImpediMed bioimpedance spectomter sozo scan if you can, and haven't already. Having a  baseline makes it easier to track fluid levels in your arms  once the post surgeical swelling goes down. 

 I can't even remember , but they showed up on something  mamo or us, had biopsys , cat scan then bone scan,mastectomy & nodes got  choped  out  and all got tested , cancer was in 4 out of 11 nodes.,chemo , radio .... still here 18 years later .

Got lymphodema ,not that everyone does ,  but that can be easily managed once you learn how  and get  the hang of it,get used ot wearing a sleeve etc,  early detection & being proactive  makes a big difference so no one needs to end up with a big arm.  Now a days with early screening programs implimented in many public and private cancer clinincs and private therapist , the incidence  of anyone getting lymphodema in the first few years is reduced dramatically thanks to modern research and programs and BIS machines. Something like 90% people can be prevented from developing  lymphoedema. 

Lymphatics are amazing part of our body I never new i had until BC, how they compensate when injured and move fluid  like tree roots and intereact with digestive and circulatory system .Don't be scared of lymphoedema- its more important to get rid of the cancer. 

HiMoomincorn​  Yes I surprised them i had 3 of the 4 axilla lymph nodes that were removed show up not what they expected and on the original scan before surgery it was thought the nodes were  enlarged due to a reactionary response. 
I had  chemo prior to surgery due to my invasive DC in hopes to shrink it.  Instead of going back and getting more lymph nodes removed extra radiation was chosen. My original plan was 12 rounds of radiation to clean up. Ended up with 25. And full on from the sternum to  collarbone  across to the armpit.   Being left sided I had Deep breath as well. 
There is never 100% guarantees with all this that the little buggers haven’t escaped. They can only do their best to eliminate the possibility.
Looking forward to the day when research finds a way to test for cancer cells that have decided to escape. 
Im also on Hormone blocker and Palbociclib (Ibrance) For the foreseeable future. 
Definitely take someone with you to your next appointment. 
the radiation was probably the easiest part of all my treatments. 
If you 🔎search cancer grading you will find how its done. 

Hi Moomincorn​ I was diagnosed with IDC er+ pr+ HER2- 2cm stage 2 grade 3 with 1 lymph node involved. My lymph nodes looked normal on my ultrasound, and my surgeon said they were very small when he removed the sentinel nodes. However, one did have cancer cells present, which he was a little surprised about, although he did say the size and shape of the lymph node doesn't always reflect what is going on, only pathology can say for sure. As the other nodes were clear, and I was having chemo, an auxiliary clearance wasn't recommended for me, they treated the area with radiation after chemo. 

Good news your other scans are clear. My understanding is that these are to check to see if they can find any evidence of the cancer spreading beyond the lymph nodes.

Definitely contact your breast care nurse, mine have been wonderful, and helped me understand test results, various procedures and why I was having them.

I found it useful to have someone else with me for my appointments as it's a lot to take in, and can be overwhelming at times.