Dad diagnosed with IDC

rpwoolf2

Hello everyone,

My dad has just been diagnosed with IDC. He's in his late 50s. I'm really worried about him, and trying to gather as much information as possible.

I'd appreciate hearing any experiences/advice/information from men who've been in the situation.

Thanks,

RPW 

TenderIsOurMight

I am very sorry to read your post. There is an entire forum on male breast cancer here at bc.org which I will link below. It has lots of threads and information. Breast cancer is a family disease, so please do feel free to post your fears and questions on the discussion forum too. 

While this diagnosis is always difficult, of course the holiday period is often a particularly difficult time for bad news. You'll see bc.org is up and running pretty much all the time.

Forum: Male Breast Cancer

For men who have been diagnosed or are at high risk.

 

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/51

 

Tender

rpwoolf2

Hi Tender,

Thanks so much for the link. It definitely helps to talk to others in the same situation and just find out more information.

Thanks,

RPW 

Lewis206

Hi RPW,

Unfortunately I have the same scenario as you but am glad I can speak to someone.  My Dad is 65 and was diagnosed two weeks ago.  He had a masectomy on his left breast and they removed the 19mm lump plus auxillary nodes to go with it.  We got the pathology results today.  I am away from home and therefore over the phone Dad told me it is a Stage II intermediate with lymph node involvement.  This is all I've got to work with because I didn't want to ask questions and worry him.  I'm have to remain positive and strong for my family whereas deep down I'm scared and don't know enough about his type to feel comfortable yet.  I don't know if they are protecting me by saying 'It's all going to be ok' or if it is really bad.  He will have 6 months of chemo followed by radiation.  That seems like a lot of chemo? I'm so worried and anxious.  I can't stop bursting into tears and basically can't get a grip.  Any research I do online doesn't help b/c statistics etc well, aren't the greatest to read.  Dad is healthy and positive but its the unknown factor I'm struggling with.  What if a few nasty cells escaped the lymph nodes and are in there somewhere?  No time is a good time to get this news but Christmas is the worst b/c everyone asks of your Christmas plans and what your doing.  I forget what day of the week it is at the moment and keep forgetting it's Christmas.

I hope this doesn't worry or scare you but reading all the other posts I feel a lot more positive reading about lymph node involvement and good results. 

What stage is your Dad at? Is IDC = Invasive ductal carcinoma?  Do you know if you have lymph node involvement?

Regards Lewis206

EGAL

Lewis,

  So sorry your dad is dealing with this.  The six months of chemo is not unusual.   I also had node involvment so I needed AC and Taxotere. Depending on the chemo, it could be once every three weeks.  I had 8 rounds, every three weeks, then rads for 36 daily treatments with weekends off.  It is a long haul, but surprisingly I look back now and it seems it did go back fast.  I also had one year of Herceptin which is an antibody for HER2+ cancers.  Best of luck to your dad and the whole family. 

Ellen

Lewis206

Ellen, reading your post makes me feel a lot better thank you.  I'm not good with interpretation of the diagnosis readings as I haven't seen Dads on paper just yet.  So you were diagnosed in 2006.  What does the brain mets part suggest?  I understand stage but not the grade specifications?  What does grade 3 mean?  How are you getting on Ellen?  I assume and am hoping your in remission and doing great?  I really hope so.  Dads oncologist appointment is tomorrow.  All the best from me and thank you for your post.

Regards Lewis

Larry44

Rpwolfe,

I was diagnosed with IDC 6 years ago when I was 59. I was treated and have had no further evidence of breast cancer. I currently am getting annual checkups which include mammograms and seeing my surgeon and medical oncologist. Getting a diagnosis of breast cancer is scary. However, if it is caught early enough most forms of breast cancer are very treatable. Both my mother and her mother had breast cancer, both lived many more years without recurrences, and passed away from other causes.

Larry44

I want to add that the treatment methods for men with breast cancer are the same as they are for women. The only significant difference is that men rarely get reconstruction. I had a lump and node removal, chemo, and then radiation. I then took Tamoxifen for 5 years which I just finished. My chemo was TAC given every 3 weeks for 6 doses and then 32 doses of radiation given 5 days a week. Some oncologists give the AC doses then the T (either Taxotere or Taxol) which extends the duration of the treatment.

Lewis, my case sounds like it was very similar to your dad's. I was treated successfully with treatment ending December 2004 and have had no evidence of breast cancer since then.

rpwoolf2

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. It really does lighten the stress load to hear from other people.

Lewis206 - it seems our dads are in similar positions. He is also IDC, stage II with lymph node involvement.

His blood tests were clear and thankfully it has not spread to the liver or any other organs. 

I know exactly how what you're going through. I've basically lost track of time, and I wake up in the middle of the night wanting to cry. I keep hoping that this is some bad dream that I'll soon wake up from.   

rpwoolf2

Hi Larry44,

Thanks for the reassuring words. Your situation seems very similar to my dad's. He is also Stage II with lymph node involvement. The tumor is 2.2 cm. We don't know if it is ER+ or not, and I'm not sure what grade it is.

Surgery is scheduled for first week of January. I was really hoping that he wouldn't have to go through chemo, but it seems likely now after having read your post. Did you have any bad side effects from it?

Larry44

Dear Rpwolf,

My oncologist recommended chemo for me due to having lymph node involvement. He gave me probability statistics for the chance of having a life threatening recurrence within 10 years. Chemo and Tamoxifen each reduced this probability by an amount I considered to be significant. I don't think I should state what those numbers were as it was 5 years ago and treatments have changed since then so the statistics I was given probably are not accurate for patients being treated today. I did not get grading and staging until after my lumpectomy.

Chemo was not fun but was not as bad as I expected it to be. I had many side effects. Side effects vary from person to person and also vary depending upon the chemo drugs used and the dosages. I live alone and was able to take care of myself after chemo treatments. I had 6 TAC treatments, one every 3 weeks. The antinausea drugs they give patients cause constipation and then a couple of days later I had diarrhea so one needs to be prepared to treat both situations. I lost all my hair but it started growing back about a month after my last treatment.