Re: New here, pathology report questions

Hello IntoTheWild, and welcome to the board.  Don't worry about the difference in views vs replies. Many people will red and decide they have nothing to offer in terms of advice, they might not have answers…or their answers might agree with others.

In your case, most will agree that yes, you are likely to be looking at a sentinal node biopsy, and a WLE ..wide local excision. They'll do both procedures on the same day. They'll inject you with the dye for the snb..put you under, do the snb and then the WLE then wake you up, and you'll have a much bigger scar.

The further LND (lymph node dissection) would depend on what the SNB shows, and who your doctor is. I've seen people here who ~automatically~ have a total dissection of the lymph node basin..and indeed that seems to be favored by most surgeons. I've known others though, who had selected lymph node removals. Where maybe a cluster of 10 or so nodes were removed, leaving others intact.

I am not sure about any evidence showing that one method is more effective than the other, but perhaps someone else here does and will offer up that info. You should definately ask your doctors about their feellings on this matter, and also ask about the consequences of total LND.

Also, you might be looking at scans, anything from xrays to PET/CT scans, especially if your SNB is positive.

There are a lot of knowledgable people here who have gone through all of these exact procedures. Good luck, and hang in there!

dian