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Anyone here with Hurthle Cell (Oncocytic) Carcinoma?
Thyroid Cancer | Last Active: Jan 19 8:13am | Replies (62)Comment receiving replies
Hi! Thank you for the great information. The surgeon said that he didn’t have to remove any lymph nodes. In the pathology report it says that two regional lymph nodes were tested and negative.
I believe there are quite a few lymph nodes in the neck. It sounds like the cancer would need to spread to a lymph node to be able to spread to another part of the body. Is that correct? My next question would be if only two regional lymph nodes were tested, is that sufficient or could it have moved to a non-regional lymph node to spread?
Thank you for your support and answers to these scary questions ❤️
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Nicole, cancer can spread in different ways:
- through the bloodstream or lymphatic system
- by growing into nearby healthy tissues
See this helpful article that explains more fully:
- How Cancer Spreads https://www.cancer.gov/types/metastatic-cancer
Hurthle cell carcinoma, which is a variant of follicular thyroid cancer, that can spread to regional lymph nodes. If they were negative, then there may not be reason to remove further lymph nodes at this time, but continue to monitor through regular follow-up appointments that include exams, blood tests, and maybe other tests to see if the cancer has come back.
Your questions are very good questions for which I can only share general answers. I encourage you to ask these same questions of your cancer team so that they can confirm more specifically about which lymph nodes were tested and are 2 nodes enough, as well as discuss your follow-up regimen. Share your concern about spread so that they can tell you about the plan.