What to Expect
Lung canceroften spreads to thelymph nodesbefore spreading to other parts of the body.
Cancer is considered metastatic when it has spread to distant lymph nodes or organs.
Lymph Node Metastases
Lung cancer can directly invade nearby tissues.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
Lymph nodes are clustered throughout the body, the groupings of which are classified by their location.
Lymph nodes often serve as the “firewalls” for cancer as cells are shed from the primary tumor.
Cancer in the lymph nodes does not necessarily mean your cancer is late-stage.
The location plays a key role in thestaging of lung cancer.
It can be an arduous and stressful process but one that can ensure you are neither undertreated nor overtreated.
If lung cancer has spread to only a few nearby lymph nodes, surgical treatment may be considered.
This helps the surgeon pinpoint which lymph nodes are affected.
The surgeon can then decide which to remove based on the pattern of lymph node drainage.
SLND typically requires a two- to three-day hospital stay.
Bleeding and pain are common after the surgery, but infection is rare.
Additional lung cancer therapies may also be prescribed based on the stage of cancer.
These include:
SLND is rarely if ever used when there are numerous affected lymph nodes.
In such cases, standard therapies will be pursued.
This can vary by whether you havesmall-cell lung cancer (SCLC)ornon-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Lung cancer can spread to nearby lymph nodes even in earlier stages of the disease.
Your treatment will be based on the extent of the spread.
Treatment may be surgical or you may receive chemotherapy and/or other therapies.
If there is something you don’t understand, let the doctor know.
Popper HH.Progression and metastasis of lung cancer.Cancer Metastasis Rev.
2016;35(1):75-91. doi:10.1007/s10555-016-9618-0
Cancer Research UK.Lung cancer.
2015;7(Suppl 4):S231-7.
SEER Training Modules.Lymph node involvement.
Datta, A, Madhumita, R.Cancer genetics and therapeutics: focus on phytochemicals.
Siddiqui F, Siddiqui AH.Cancer, lung.
Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging.
Brierley J, Gospodarowicz M, O’Sullivan B.The principles of cancer staging.Ecancer Med Sci.2016;10:ed61.
