How to deal with breast cancer that has lymph node metastasis

Lymph node metastasis is one of the most common complications of breast cancer. According to statistics, among breast cancer patients who visit the doctor for the first time, about 40 to 60 percent of the cases have lymph node metastasis to varying degrees. Lymph node metastasis is divided into regional lymph node metastasis and distant lymph node metastasis according to the location of the site of occurrence and the relationship between the breast.

It is generally believed that first-level lymph node metastasis on the same side of the breast is regional lymph node metastasis, and metastasis to second-level or higher lymph nodes and lymph nodes of other organs on the same side is distant lymph node metastasis.

(1) Regional lymph node metastasis: including axillary lymph nodes and internal mammary lymph nodes. When only regional lymph node metastasis occurs, it can still be clinically determined to be stage I or II. Clean resection should be performed during breast cancer surgery, and local radiotherapy should be performed after surgery. For cases where lymph node metastasis has been fused and fixed, and it is difficult to separate and remove the axillary nerves and blood vessels, radiotherapy and chemotherapy should be selected.

(2) Distant lymph node metastasis: including ipsilateral supraclavicular and infraclavicular lymph nodes and contralateral breast lymph nodes. Treatment is mainly radiotherapy. Local surgical resection should be given priority for easily removable lymph nodes. Regardless of where lymph node metastasis occurs, after local treatment, comprehensive therapy should be selected in combination with the primary lesion and systemic condition to improve the patient's survival rate.

Patients who have undergone breast cancer resection should pay attention to self-examination, that is, regularly check the skin of the neck, chest and armpits for abnormal nodules or masses. If abnormalities are found, they should seek medical attention in time. If it is confirmed to be local metastasis or recurrence, and distant metastasis is excluded, the treatment plan should be adjusted in time: change endocrine therapy drugs, systemic chemotherapy, and if radical radiotherapy is not performed after surgery, low-dose palliative radiotherapy of the chest wall can be given. The patient himself should strengthen the care of the recurrence site, wear cotton underwear, avoid friction and squeezing of the local skin, keep the skin clean, and if it has ulcerated, he needs to be hospitalized for treatment to prevent local infection.