Breast cancer study: Changes to lymph nodes could identify who is most at risk

Researchers have found changes in the structure of lymph nodes which could help identify people at a higher or lower risk of breast cancer spreading.

A study of 331 lymph node samples from people with different types of breast cancer found that the disease could change the structure of a network that supports the nodes.

Crucially, these changes could occur even before doctors are able to spot any cancer cells in this network.

Some changes were linked to a better chance of survival, while others led to a worse prognosis for the patient.

Researchers said the findings could support new treatments, more tailored care, and more people avoid unnecessary treatment.

Lymph nodes, a key part of the immune system, help the body fight infections and cancer. In breast cancer, the lymph nodes in the armpit are often the first place the disease spreads to.

At the moment everyone with invasive breast cancer has to undergo surgery to remove lymph nodes to check for cancer cells.

While this is effective, it can lead to long-term side effects like swelling of the arm (lymphoedema) and may be unnecessary for some patients, particularly those with early-stage disease or those whose cancer responds well to treatment.

Ruth Smith, 59, from Buckinghamshire, was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in January 2023 after discovering a lump in her right breast.

She said living with lymphoedema afterwards was "a constant reminder of what I went through" and that "the swelling and discomfort can have a real impact on daily life".

"Research like this is so important because it could help doctors better understand who really needs which treatments, and hopefully reduce the number of people who go on to develop lymphoedema in the future," Ms Smith said.

Change to lymph nodes differs per breast cancer type

Dr Amy Llewellyn and Dr Kalnisha Naidoo from King's College London, together with Professor Sophie Acton at University College London, compared the 331 samples with healthy lymph nodes in people free from the disease.

They looked at a unique group of cells within lymph nodes called fibroblastic reticular cells (FRC), which provide the structure for the nodes, control fluid flow and activate different immune cells.

The study, published in the Journal of Pathology, showed that the structure of this FRC network could change even before the cancer had spread and differed depending on the type of breast cancer, any spread and whether someone had received chemotherapy.

Dr Llewellyn said the first large-scale analysis of FRC in human lymph node tissue from breast cancer patients was addressing the "urgent need" for a better understanding of the area's biology.

Read more:
New ovarian cancer treatment approved on NHS
Skin cancer cases at record high, figures show

Dr Simon Vincent, chief scientific officer at the charity Breast Cancer Now, which funded the research, said: "These findings suggest that changes to the structure of the lymph nodes are more than just a consequence of the cancer. They can also play an active role in helping breast cancer progress.

"With one person tragically dying from breast cancer every 45 minutes in the UK, we urgently need research like this so that we can better understand who is most at risk of their cancer progressing and becoming incurable. Only then we can find ways to stop it.

"With a better understanding of how lymph nodes change as breast cancer spreads, we could find new targets for future treatments for types of breast cancer that are harder to treat."

(c) Sky News 2026: Breast cancer study: Changes to lymph nodes could identify who is most at risk