Patient's Query
Hello Doctor,
My mom is 55 and was diagnosed with endometrial cancer last month. The CT scan showed one suspicious pelvic lymph node. Doctors said staging may change after surgery.
How does a suspicious lymph node on a CT scan affect a 55-year-old cancer patient’s staging?
Does one node mean advanced cancer automatically?
Can inflammation mimic cancer on a CT scan?
Will this change the need for chemotherapy or radiation therapy?
We are confused and terrified hearing nodes involved. My mom keeps asking if this reduces cure chances.
Kindly advise.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I have read your query and understand your concern.
Sure, knowing about a possible lymph node problem might be quite frightening, but it is important to keep in mind that having an abnormal lymph node on a CT scan is not enough evidence for the spread of cancer.
For endometrial cancer, the final staging is done on the basis of surgery and pathology results and not just an imaging test. In this case, a CT (computed tomography) scan could show a possible enlargement of a lymph node, but it will not be able to distinguish whether this condition is caused by cancer or not; sometimes, inflammation could look like cancer on a CT scan.
In case a lymph node turns out to have cancer cells in it after surgery and a pathology test, the disease is usually considered stage III. Nevertheless, even in this case, there is a curative treatment possible, and many patients manage to recover well enough.
If lymph node involvement is found, some additional treatment might be needed after surgery to decrease the chances of relapse.
When the involvement of lymph nodes is confirmed, the doctor may advise further treatments like chemotherapy or radiation after surgery to prevent the recurrence of the disease. This will depend on the results from the pathology report.
At this point, the CT scan is just pointing out a possibility and not giving the diagnosis. The surgery will confirm or deny the involvement of the lymph nodes. Overall prognosis will depend on many things and regardless of involvement of the lymph nodes, there are treatment methods that can be applied.
I hope you are satisfied with my answer. For further queries, you can consult me at iCliniq.
Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!
Disclaimer: No content published on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website. Read our Editorial Process to know how we create content for health articles and queries.