Intramammary lymph nodes

[Susancarole]

How often are intramammary lymph nodes benign as compared to cancerous ?  Also, are they a precussor to cancer?  If you have one, must it be checked every 6 months for the rest of your life?  I had a bilateral mastectomy 4 years ago (cancer in right breast only) and I an ultrasound has just found a lesion , 8X8 mm, with an echogenic center and hypoechoic rim consistent with an intramammary lymph node.  I am coming up to my 4 1/2 yr. mark of being cancer free but now I am very scared.

Thanks for your answers.

[Susancarole]

Thank you very much for responding.  My concern is, in part, because I am due for a Latissimas Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap operation (implants have capsulized 3 times)and have already been given the date, Dec. 3.  In your opinion, should I go ahead with the operation, have the lession excised first (it is not palapable) or ?

I know I am a pest, but I fell 'alone in the wilderness.'  My family Dr. will only say:"I am not worried about it.  We will ultrasound it again in 6 months"  I am glad she is not worried.  As you can tell, I am.

Thanks in advance, I truly appreciate the time you are taking.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  Those ultrasound findings are not specific for cancer.  As your result indicates, the "lesion with an echogenic center and hypoechoic rim" merely establishes the presence of a lymph node. It doesn't tell you if that lymph node contains cancer cells or not.

[Susancarole]

You know after 4 hours of checking the net, your comments alone, have taken some of the panic out of my body.  Does an echogenic center and hypoechoic rim sound like anything to do with cancer?  I deal better with things I know and then feel I can control, so don't be worried about telling me if it does sound like cancer.

Thank you again for your reply.  

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi. Lymph nodes are clusters of white blood cells normally found in specific areas of the body (example: neck, axilla, groin).  Lymph nodes are usually associated with lymph vessels and serve to "filter" lymphatic fluid of certain substances (example: microbes, cancer cells) which can potentially cause harm to the body.  So lymph nodes are not precursors to cancer, but rather a normal component of the body's immune system.  Because of the lymph nodes' filtering function, cancer cells traveling along the lymph vessels get sifted out and accumulate in these nodes.  This is the reason why doctors check lymph nodes when they are looking for cancer.  There is no way of knowing for sure if a lymph node contains cancer cells unless the node is biopsied.  The gross appearance of the node may suggest that it may have cancer: it may be enlarged with a hard consistency, and it may be fixed to the surrounding tissue (not movable).