Stage III C

Adam33

My wife had a double masectamy in late Feb of 08. She had a tumor 5centimeters large with a cluster around all cancer and had 30 positive lymphnodes. She had something called pagotoid on the other nipple. The cells were poorly differntiated and her pet scan post surgery was clean. She was ER positive. Not a day goes by that I dont worry about what is next. She just finished cheomo and is doing radiation. Anyone know survival rates for Stage IIIC?

BMac

Adam, various websites will give different answers to your question.  I am stage III and do not know my prognosis.  I did ask way back at the beginning but didn't get an answer and haven't asked again since.  My situation was that the lymph nodes behind the breastbone were involved, consequently I did chemo first, followed by surgery then radiation (just completed July 23rd).  I too had a double mastectomy.

My understanding is that the prognosis is around 55% chance of being alive in 5 years.  This sounds scary BUT it is just a statistic.  It depends on the individual and their response to treatment.  I had ovarian cancer 5 1/2 years ago and my prognosis at that time was 50% chance of being alive in 3 years.  Ovarian cancer has a very high rate of recurrence.  I am over 5 years out and my ovarian onc said to me that I had beat the odds.  So there you go.

It's frightening.  When this first started (found on a routine screening MRI) my hope was for Stage I, then when they found it in the lymph node at the needle biopsy I was hoping for Stage II.  Unfortunately, it was stage III but I have had a very good response to my treatments, the nodes behind the breastbone are clear (thank God) and I am very lucky.

Good luck to you and your wife.  She's doing everything to fight this thing and hopefully she too will have a good response to her treatments.

LAphoenix

Adam, I'm very sorry to hear about your wife's bc.  It's a natural impulse to want to know survival rates, but unfortunately, they tend to be too outdated and too generic to be all that useful.  Any stats that are out there now would refer to women who were diagnosed and treated many years ago.  Breast cancer treatments are changing all the time, and there are many factors that impact survival.  The fact that your wife's cancer is estrogen-positive is one very good factor.  They're probably others.  I think the important thing is to have a team of doctors who are positive and dedicated to beating the cancer, and for you and your wife to prepare for and insist on the most aggressive treatment available.  I know doctors don't always agree on what is the best aggressive treatment is, but if you're Stage III, you have to go at it with guns blazing.  That's my feeling anyway.  For what it's worth, I had 25 positive nodes and am cancer-free (as far as I know) 2 1/2 years later.  There are others here who had similar diagnoses and have been cancer-free for years longer.  

Good luck and thanks for being a caring husband.  Think as positively as much as you can.  It will mean the world to your wife!

Amy G.