Hi, I have had a combined basal segmentectomy, including the removal of lymph nodes, and wondered how likely this will be to affect my immune system in the future? I wondered if anybody knows anything about this please?
It is dependant on how many lymph nodes are removed and in what area. Apparently, according to medical research, ten or more nodes removed can have an impact on immune response in the area they were removed, but surgeons now adopt a node sparing procedure and only take the nodes that test positive for cancer.
I had breast cancer in 1991 which had spread into my axillary lymph nodes, I had ten removed, but only two were positive for cancer. I had problems with lymphoedema and axillary scar tissue cording where the axillary scar tightens and becomes painful, resulting in difficulty raising my arm without pain, this lasted for years. Nowadays the surgeon would have only taken the two positive nodes.
I was diagnosed with early stage lung cancer in August 2023, thankfully my lymph nodes where clear.
I would ask your Oncologist how many nodes were removed and query what impact this may have on your immune response.
