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JessicaV's avatar
JessicaV
Member
12 years ago

Sentinel Node test

I am now in the Mount Hospital, had my sentinel node test, and they found that the lymph first drains to a couple of nodes that are not in my armpiit. One is between ribs two and three and one is under a rib. They did get a sentinel node for the drainage to the armpit as well. The Nuclear Medicine physician said this is the case in about a third of women with breast cancer. He said that if the sentinel one has cancer, they may then need to decide what to do about the two before it, that they may treat it with radiotherapy. Has any of you had this? If so,  can tell you please tell me your  experience/what ttreatment they gave you and how it all went?

Also they got this lymph node stuff figured out in about half an hour or less, on the first scan. Does this mean anything? they said it could be several hours but it wasn't.

6 Replies

  • LisaH's avatar
    LisaH
    Member
    12 years ago
    I had the opposite .. Took nearly an hour and a half to find my sentinel node. It was quite close and the drainage was very slow. I also had it done at the Mount. I felt the same about how competent and lovely they were. I had surgery last Thursday 23rd January. Quick test while I was in surgery showed no cancer in the node so waiting for 'real' test results, then back to Perth for 6 weeks radiotherapy. Good luck with your continued treatment. Lisa
  • Robyn_W's avatar
    Robyn_W
    Member
    12 years ago

    Jessica,one of mine was below the breast and near the sternum.The other was under my armpit.Itis not uncommon.I was told the same as you,and I went to RPA in Sydney,for my sentinel node thingy.I had my surgery at Sydney Private.Good luck,and It sounds as though you are in good hands.And also,sometimes it takes longer in older patients ,I was told,or ladies with very dense breast tissue.Mine was like you,and done really quickly.Take care.xox Robyn

  • Chris's avatar
    Chris
    Member
    12 years ago
    Hi Jessica, Mine were all in the armpit. My node was clear on frozen section, but because my cancer was aggressive, and only one node was found, my surgeon still wanted to go back and remove a few more. I also needed a mastectomy, so at the same time I also had 9 more nodes removed, just to be sure. They were all clear. Good luck with everything. Love Chris xx
  • mgndam1603's avatar
    mgndam1603
    Member
    12 years ago

    Mine took longer than anticipated, I had mine done in the morning and my surgery was in the afternoon and there were issues with the time it took. Mine were under my arm though.

    Seems we are all different.

    Donna

  • JessicaV's avatar
    JessicaV
    Member
    12 years ago

    Hi, yes I am in the Mount Hospital in Perth. They seem to be lovely and very competent, and I do feel that I am in good hands. My concern was that the first two nodes are not in the armpit but on the other side of the breast towards my sternum, under and between ribs, which is not something I had read about so I am keen to know a little bit about it. I gather your three were all in the armpit, were they?

    best wishes

    Jessica

     

  • Chris's avatar
    Chris
    Member
    12 years ago
    Hi Jessica, I am not sure if I can help, but I seem to remember being under a scanner for a while as they kept trying to track where the tracer was going. I thought it took about an hour, but I ended up with 2 big crosses and one with a circle around it. I went in to theatre the next day ( I think), and then they injected the blue dye so that they could visually see where the lymph tracked to. It was only after these nodes were analysed in pathology that they could tell me if they were affected. They do a frozen section analysis at first, but if it is clear they still do further testing on it to make sure. This extra testing takes another week. If the initial frozen section is clear, they don't normally take the nodes then. Should the results pick up cancer with the more thorough testing, you then may need surgery to remove all nodes. This was the case 3 years ago, and it might have changed since then. Are you in the Mount hospital in Perth? Good luck with everything. Love Chris xx