I feel you are getting a bit ahead of the diagnosis. Many times the tests done on nodes removed during ND reveal more about the extent of the cancer and then the follow on treatment, if any, is decided at that time.

Nearly all doctors tend to be conservative so are not going to guess and assume all nodes are clear or just two or three or... are neoplastic. They will wait to read the biopsies first.

One thing you can take to the bank is since your case is a recurrence that your prognosis is less bright now. Given that the cancer spread quickly is another reason there may be more caution being expressed than if this was the initial encounter.

Unfortunately, you are in the typical and all too common anxiety holding pattern of the cancer patient/survivor. Do your best to focus on other things, a few days will pass then you can have some facts underneath you to build the road forward. don