Who is responsible for determining lymph node involvement

[MissyMouse]

Is the surgeon or the pathologist responsible for determining lymphn node involvement?

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear missymouse:  The surgeon removes the lymph nodes the pathologist confirms whether they are involved with cancer.  If the disease is macroscopic a surgeon may be able to tell that these are cancerous.  If the disease is microscopic, the surgeon cannot tell with the naked eye.  Either way, the diagnosis is confirmed by the pathologist.

[surgeon]

The surgeon removes the lymph nodes and sends them to the lab. The pathologist looks at them under the microscope and determines if there are cancer cells within them.

[surgeon]

I'm not sure what you mean by "override." Maybe you could explain what your concern is. But whether there's cancer in a node or not is strictly determined by looking at it under a microscope. The surgeon may have a feeling one way or other based on how the nodes look and feel, but only the microscope gives the true answer.

[Nanners10]

A related discussion, lymphodiima was started.

[MissyMouse]

Could the surgeon override the pathologists findings with regards to lymphn node involvement based on tumor location etc?