Question

During the planning of therapeutic intervention for a 54-year-old female patient with cancer of the right breast, a 3rd year medical student would need to first consider where most of the cancer cells would metastasize, which would be:

A. Abdominal wall
B. Anterior mediastinum
C. Axillary lymph nodes
D. Opposite breast
E. Parasternal lymph nodes

Answer 1

For a patient with breast cancer, the most likely initial site for metastasis is the axillary lymph nodes, given the breast's direct lymphatic connection to these nodes. Distant metastases from breast cancer can also occur in bones, brain, liver, and parasternal lymph nodes.

Step-by-step explanation:

When planning therapeutic intervention for a 54-year-old female patient with breast cancer, the most likely initial site for metastasis would be the axillary lymph nodes. This is because the breast has a rich lymphatic drainage system that connects directly to the axillary lymph nodes, making them a common first destination for cancer cells spreading from the breast.

While cancer cells can spread via the bloodstream to many different parts of the body, they tend to grow only at certain sites. The most commonly affected distant organs for breast cancer metastases include the bones, brain, liver, and also distant lymph nodes such as the parasternal lymph nodes. Therefore, the answer to the question about where most of the cancer cells would metastasize from cancer of the right breast is C. Axillary lymph nodes.