Could it Be??

bondiblonde

I was diagnosed September 2005 with Stage 1 IDIC, 16mm no nodes. I had lumpetomy, radiatherapy. tamoxifen for two and half years and have been on femara for 1 year.

Had check up yesterday and doctor found small lump at the end of the lumpectomy scar. There was no evidence on any suspicous lumps 6 months ago on mammo and ultra sound.

I have a core biopsy scheduled for Wednesday.

Have always been told that I was really unlikely to have a recurrence because of the early stage and treatment taken so this has really thrown me. I am hoping it is scar tisue that has developed -has anone ever had this happen?

Nichola

Hi Bondiblonde

Just to let you know that it is very rare to have a recurrence as a stage 1ner.   It did happen to me, but I was told it was like a 1% chance.  As I understand it, a local recurrence when you haven't had a mascectomy has much the same prognosis as a primary.

Sending you love and luck,

Nikki x

nosurrender

Hi,

 Nikki is right.

A local recurrence can be treated quite successfully and is not considered mets.

I had a new primary in the opposite breast six years after my first breast cancer. The docs treated it like it was a brand new cancer.

Good luck with everything.

hugs

g

bondiblonde

Never having even considered this as a possibility (probably a bit naive) I haven't looked at treatments for new cancers. Can radiathereapy be given a second time to the same breast?

MySis

Hello everyone,

My name Sol, and I am writing on behalf of my sister, because she is not good with English. I went to India (New Delhi) from USA to support her financially, and she came from East Africa, I could not bring her to USA because of visa issues and the processing time. It has been 7 months now in India Apollo Hospital and things are going wrong and I am very frustrated I feel I am in a dark.

Her Med/surg. Onc decided to give her Taxol (100 mg) and Herceptin (110mg) every week before surgery, they said to shrink the tumor because it was big. After taking 4 cycle of Taxol and 7 cycle of Herceptin, her white blood cells drops very low even after given the injection to boost the white blood cells. The Surgeon decided to do surgery and she had the surgery (mastectomy on her right side). The pathology report shows ER/PR+ and HER2+++ so the doctor decided to continue with Herceptin and Taxol every week.

Bad news. One week before she completed her cycles she has two lumps on her right armpit where she had the surgery, and we decided to do bone scan, Pet scan and cat scan; bone scan and cat scan showed bone mets + the lumps she had on her armpit, but pet scan only showed the lumps on her armpit. I was devastated, and did not know how to tell my little sister, finally I told her the truth and I cannot tell you how devastated she is. Now the strange thing is onc. Surgeon took out the lumps and the pathology report shows different when it comes to ER. Previously it was ER/PR+ HER2+++, but now she is ER-(negative) PR+ HER2+++. Could the pathologist make mistake on the previous one or may be on the recent one? This is bad; she already took a lot of chemo. What are her options now? Does this mean Herceptin failed to work on my sister. We talked about hormone therapy but with ER- it will only respond 30% they said. Some one I need you help if you can as soon as possible. I would never wish the darkness I am feeling right now to anybody.

Please do it for my sister.

Sol

Nichola

Bondiblonde - I was defo told that rads can be done twice...?

Sol - So sorry to here about your sister...please post this again as a new topic, probably best under "just diagnosed with recurrence or mets", as that is how you will get the best advice.   I can tell you that when cancer recurs, it can change pathalogically from grade 1 to 2 or 3 and ER+ to negative and HER+.

Nikki x

MySis

Dear Nichola,

Thank you very much for your response. I got an advice from the other topics, that i should send the specimen to a different hospital for pathology test to make sure the initail result is correct. That is what i am doing right now, and it will be sent this coming Friday.

 Thank you Nichola,

Regards,

Sol

marmsie

I was very recently diagnosed with a new primary in the same breast (previously did lumpectomy with radiation, etc). I've been told no more radiation - my only surgery option is now a mastectomy.

The current biopsy is going to be re done due to the odd reading of the Her2. Pathology is also open to interpretation, so a second run can be helpful.

bondiblonde

I am still waiting for answers and have totally stressed myself.  I went for an ultrasound guied biopsy but it could not detect and lump/mass to do a biopsy.  Doc then bid a fine needle by palpation which also did not show any suspicious cells but he wants me to see him again at end of april. I hate not knowing and I hate not being in control of things. I have decided to ask to have lump removed surgically when I see him as like veryone else says 'the best lump is the lump in the jar'.

To add to all the stress my seventeen year old sports mad son who has been complining of back pain for several months has just found out that he has scoliosis brought on by rapid growth in his teens.

desdemona222b

Marmsie is right - radiation therapy cannot be performed on the breast (or on any other area for that matter) more than once.