new cancer or new one? How to tell.

goldendragonlady

  I have been diagnosed again with IDC in my "good" breast.  I had lumpectomy, AC, and rads, and have been on tamo for 2 1/2 years.  This tumor has almost the same "personality" as the first time, but is half the size. How do they know it's a new cancer.  I know, I know, everything I have read says that bc only rarely spreads to the other breast, but how can they tell for sure?  Do they do some sort of test?  In any case what type of treatment do they reccomend when you have been taking tamox and it comes back anyway??

tumor #1 1.8 cm IDC histo 3 - 3, nuc 2 - 3, mitotic - 1 - 3, bloom-richardson 6/9.  Final path.

tumor #2   .7 cm IDC histo 3 - 3, nuc 2 - 3, mitotic - 2 - 3, bloom-richardson 7/9   Core biopsy.

Mary

AnneW

I don't know if a pathology comparison can determine if the cancers have identical characteristics. I'm not sure it matters, really.

I had a new primary in the other breast, but it was a different cell entirely--ILC vs IDC.

I would imagine that as far as treatment goes, that if it's ER+/Her2- and node negative, you'd be changed to an AI drug. (If you're not already in menopause, then you'd need some intervention to get there so you could take the AI.)

That tumor was even possibly there at the same time the other one was found, and the Tamoxifen was trying to keep it in check. It's really hard to know...

Anne

mke

They think my 3 were all independent events rather than occurances, but that was based on hormone receptor status. I've heard that cancer cells can mutate too so who knows. They treated me based on the characteristics of the last tumour.