Swollen lymph nodes **updated**

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
lpas
Posts: 1010
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:11 pm

Swollen lymph nodes **updated**

Postby lpas » Wed Jan 07, 2015 12:32 pm

My surgeon mentioned that at least three of the lymph nodes he removed when he did my initial colectomy last week were swollen. He went on to say that he's seen "many" cases where the regional lymph nodes were swollen but ultimately not found to be cancerous. I forgot to ask whether he's also seen cases where non-swollen lymph nodes were found to be malignant.

Now I don't think my surgeon would lie to me but I do think he's a very nice guy and may be exaggerating a bit on the optimistic side to try and calm my nerves as we wait for the pathology report (which is due any day now). So here's my curiosity poll:

If your surgeon mentioned finding lymph nodes that were swollen during your initial surgery, did they all ultimately turn out to be involved? And on the flip side, did pathology find cancerous lymph nodes above and beyond any that appeared to be swollen?

Thanks for humoring me as I obsess about this...

**Update**
Got a call from the surgeon this morning. Pathology is in. Looks like I'm Stage IIIB. Three x 2.5cm tumor. Two of 20 lymph nodes were positive. T3N1M0. Clean margins. Moderately-differentiated. There is evidence of vascular but no perineural invasion. No evidence of cancer on my uterus or left ovary which were adhered to the colon and removed. He did say one lymph node showed extranodal extension (i.e. the cancer had fully taken the node over and extended beyond it by .3 cm). Not exactly sure if that's significant.
Last edited by lpas on Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:34 am, edited 2 times in total.
11/14 Dx sigmoid CC @ 45yo
12/14 Colectomy + hysterectomy
Stage IIIB, T3N1bM0, 2/20 nodes, MSS, G2, KRAS(A146T), TP53, SMAD4, ERBB2, CEA 1.0
2/15-7/15 XELOX & celecoxib
2/19 clean scope
11/19 clean CT
Ongoing cimetidine & other targeted supplements
Mom to a 6 & 8yo

rickrobben
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 2:18 pm

Re: Do swollen lymph nodes from colectomy=cancerous lymph no

Postby rickrobben » Wed Jan 07, 2015 2:42 pm

Hi,

I had one swollen node on the scan. After six chemos the node was normal. After the surgery all nodes were removed and normal. Clear path report.
June 13 2014. Stage 3 rectal
6 rounds Folfox chemo, oxilpilatin, with leucovorin and then Fluorazine in the bottle
11/14LAR complete response
Temp iliostomy
Folfox chemo, oxilpilatin, with leucovorin and then Fluorazine in the bottle
5/15 Reversal
9/1 blood and sigmoidoscopy clear

midlifemom
Posts: 1358
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:58 am
Location: NJ

Re: Do swollen lymph nodes from colectomy=cancerous lymph no

Postby midlifemom » Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:09 pm

Obsession isn't good but humor is.
I don't believe any of my lymph nodes appeared suspicious but many did turn out to be cancerous.
Best of luck as you wait on results.
Stage 3 cc - dx Jan '14 age 53, cea 2.9
t2n2m0, KRAS mutant, MSS
Folfox Feb - Aug '14
Nov '14 cea 27.7 -2 liver masses
Dec '14 left lobectomy and HAI
Jan '15 FUDR and FOLFIRI
Aug '15 fudr done, liver clear, add avastin for lungs. Cea 4.3
Feb '16 CEA rising
May '16 2 wk break then drop Iri for 6 weeks.
Jul '16 cancer grew, constricted main bile duct. Stent inserted. On break till jaundice clears. CEA climbing. Doing reduced Folfox. Allergic to Oxali.
Sep'16 chemo failed. Trial or hospice?

manders
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat Jul 13, 2013 7:32 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Do swollen lymph nodes from colectomy=cancerous lymph no

Postby manders » Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:22 pm

My surgeon did not comment on the appearance of my lymph nodes after my surgery. My CT scan before hand just made note that a small lymph node was visible. So I think most of my nodes were not enlarged. It was a shock for me and I think perhaps even my surgeon that cancer was found in four of my lymph nodes.

I know it is hard not to obsess about the still yet unknown. But the answers will be found in the pathology report.
Mom to 2 (2008 and 2018)
Diagnosed at 34, 7/9/2013
Sigmoid colon resection 7/24/2013; Stage 3b; T3 N2a; 4/14 lymph nodes
Folfox 8/28/2013 - 2/7/2014

AbsumZero
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2014 2:39 pm

Re: Do swollen lymph nodes from colectomy=cancerous lymph no

Postby AbsumZero » Wed Jan 07, 2015 8:10 pm

It was the opposite for me. Surgeon assumed I was likely stage 2 before cutting in because there were no swollen lymph nodes but 4/30 something turned out cancerous as well as some that were visibly cancerous by the time of surgery but distant and too difficult to reach at that point.

I've read postulated theories that part of the reason greater numbers of lymph nodes removed may be a good prognosticator is because swelling, which makes them easier to spot and take out, may also indicate a stronger immune response.
7/14 DX Stage 4 w/kidney mets @ 32
8/14 resection, nephrectomy, & temp colostomy, 4/36 lymph nodes
9/14 Common iliac chain node mass
10/14 XELOX and Erbitux
1/15 NED

lpas
Posts: 1010
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:11 pm

Re: Do swollen lymph nodes from colectomy=cancerous lymph no

Postby lpas » Wed Jan 07, 2015 9:49 pm

AbsumZero wrote:It was the opposite for me. Surgeon assumed I was likely stage 2 before cutting in because there were no swollen lymph nodes but 4/30 something turned out cancerous as well as some that were visibly cancerous by the time of surgery but distant and too difficult to reach at that point.

I've read postulated theories that part of the reason greater numbers of lymph nodes removed may be a good prognosticator is because swelling, which makes them easier to spot and take out, may also indicate a stronger immune response.


Huh. That's a very interesting theory. Never thought of it that way before.
11/14 Dx sigmoid CC @ 45yo
12/14 Colectomy + hysterectomy
Stage IIIB, T3N1bM0, 2/20 nodes, MSS, G2, KRAS(A146T), TP53, SMAD4, ERBB2, CEA 1.0
2/15-7/15 XELOX & celecoxib
2/19 clean scope
11/19 clean CT
Ongoing cimetidine & other targeted supplements
Mom to a 6 & 8yo

User avatar
CRguy
Posts: 10473
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: Do swollen lymph nodes from colectomy=cancerous lymph no

Postby CRguy » Wed Jan 07, 2015 11:47 pm

Just a quick FYI from a surgeon's (vet) perspective and a Stage IVa patient ......
nodes can and will be "active" = involved with the active disease
OR
reactive = enlarged because OF the active process = inflammatory = needs lab pathology report to figure out... BUTT not necessarily cancer.

When I had my first CT, c-scope, biopsy ... they wanted to "identify" a few mesorectal nodes which are "not normally visible on CT" so we did an MRI.
I was going to have surgery anyway, and even the MRI was inconclusive .. turns out the nodes were reactive to the chemoradiation and tumor growth ... AND they all got nuked and destroyed by treatments anyway :shock:

SO ... are swollen nodes = cancer ....... NO
might they be ??????????? .... maybe ?

Answer : when the pathology report comes in .... then we'll know !

Cheers and best wishes
CRguy
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far

User avatar
Mastan
Posts: 433
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:12 am
Location: Albuquerque, NM

Re: Do swollen lymph nodes from colectomy=cancerous lymph no

Postby Mastan » Thu Jan 08, 2015 12:38 am

You just have to wait for pathology. There is no point in wasting energy on speculation because it does not change the outcome. I had 3 suspicious nodes from the first CT scan. I then had chemo and radiation pre-surgery. Upon pathology they examined Approx. 13 nodes. They were all negative for cancer. Whether there was cancer in the 3 suspicious nodes and it was killed by the treatment no one can say. We can only say what was found at path and that is what matters to a large extent. That said I had a recurrence 2 yrs later so a negative finding at path post surgery is no guarantee of future outcomes. You just have to learn to deal with things as they come and not worry about what may or may not happpen.
Dx 6/2010 rectal CA

Carolinabluetec
Posts: 415
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 11:52 am
Location: Greenville, SC

Re: Do swollen lymph nodes from colectomy=cancerous lymph no

Postby Carolinabluetec » Thu Jan 08, 2015 8:30 am

My problem was just the opposite, my nodes were extremely small and low numbers in the surgical sample.
03/14 DX Adenocarcinoma Sigmoid Polyp
05/14 Da Vinci Sigmoid Colectomy
06/14 T3N0Mx, staged IIa
07/14 Xeloda 3000 mg/day 14 on/7 off 8 rounds
12/14 Finished Chemo
01/15 CT NED :D
07/15 Colonoscopy NED :D
08/15 CT NED :D
03/16 CT NED 8)

lpas
Posts: 1010
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:11 pm

Re: Swollen lymph nodes **updated**

Postby lpas » Thu Jan 08, 2015 1:10 pm

Thanks everyone. The doctor called with my pathology results this morning. I've updated my original post above.
11/14 Dx sigmoid CC @ 45yo
12/14 Colectomy + hysterectomy
Stage IIIB, T3N1bM0, 2/20 nodes, MSS, G2, KRAS(A146T), TP53, SMAD4, ERBB2, CEA 1.0
2/15-7/15 XELOX & celecoxib
2/19 clean scope
11/19 clean CT
Ongoing cimetidine & other targeted supplements
Mom to a 6 & 8yo

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3816
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: Swollen lymph nodes **updated**

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Thu Jan 08, 2015 1:21 pm

I'm glad that you have your results. :D I know that you will receive wonderful advice on this board! I wish I had more advice to give you.
Diagnosed 10/28/14, age 36
Colon Resection 11/20/14, LAR (no illeo)
Stage 2a colon cancer, T3NOMO
Lymph-vascular invasion undetermined
0/22 lymph nodes
No chemo, no radiation
Clear Colonoscopy 04/29/15
NED 10/20/15
Ischemic Colitis 01/21/16
NED 11/10/16
CT Scan moved up due to high CEA 08/21/17
NED 09/25/17
NED 12/21/18
Clear colonoscopy 09/23/19
Clear 5 year scans 11/21/19- Considered cured! :)

mrcytech
Posts: 71
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:39 am
Location: Massachusetts

Re: Swollen lymph nodes **updated**

Postby mrcytech » Thu Jan 08, 2015 1:58 pm

Glad you got your report. Sometimes the waiting is the worse part of the treatment.
Dx 12/12 Stage 3B sigmoid crc T3N1M0
2/13 resection w/ temp Iliost, port insert. Reversal 5/13.
6/13-12/13 Folfox 12 sessions. Oxi stopped @ session 4.
9/14 CT shows 1.2CM nodule on upper lobe of left lung.
3/15 wedge resection left lung (stage 1A lung cancer) no chemo.
9/16 CT/PET shows node activity (SUV 10.6), CEA extremely elevated. Mets from colon. Upgraded to stage 4.
11/16-4/17 Begin Folfiri w/Avastin 8 sessions.
4/19-9/19 endobronchial activity lung mets.
1/20 Stivarga (palliative).


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 104 guests