My axillary lymph nodes were removed 11 years ago from first go-around with cancer. I was subsequently diagnosed with IBC in the same breast. There were no lymph nodes to take this time. How do I know for sure that the cancer did not spread?
When inflammatory breast cancer develops in a breast that has already been treated for breast cancer, the first step would be to perform a series of staging tests to assure that the cancer has not spread. It is correct that once the axillary lymph nodes have been removed, there may not be more removed at the time of surgery. But otherwise, the treatments would be the same with initially finding the extent of the disease, beginning with chemotherapy, subsequently performing a mastectomy, and then considering radiation. Some of the chemotherapy and radiation decisions may also depend on the previous breast cancer treatment.
When inflammatory breast cancer develops in a breast that has already been treated for breast cancer, the first step would be to perform a series of staging tests to assure that the cancer has not spread. It is correct that once the axillary lymph nodes have been removed, there may not be more removed at the time of surgery. But otherwise, the treatments would be the same with initially finding the extent of the disease, beginning with chemotherapy, subsequently performing a mastectomy, and then considering radiation. Some of the chemotherapy and radiation decisions may also depend on the previous breast cancer treatment.
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