2nd cancer and micromets in sentinal node: axillary clearance?

everdream

Hello to you all.

It's my first time posting in here after the new bad news i received last may. Hope you could through some light on this because as you may suppose i'm having a really bad time at the moment.

I was dx with breast cancer five years ago. Stage 3. Got mx, chemo, rads, and tamoxifen afterwards. When i was starting to "forget" all the suffering i'd been going throught at that time the shock come again.
On 21th may they told me i got a 0.8cm lump on my "good" breast. I told them i wanted to get a mx of the breast and last week i got it done.
What worries me now is that they have found micromets in the sentinel node, but the did not perform the full axilary node clearance as they did the other time. Surgeon told us that nowadays they do not remove them if there're only micromets and that doing a full clearance in such situation is "overtreat" patients.
I'm really afraid of my tumor cells spreading anywhere else. The other time i got a full clearance done because a couple of nodes where affected but now i'm confunsed and very frightened.
In a couple of weeks i have a new appointment with the doctors and they will tell me about the rest of the treatment, but i would like to know your thoughts so i can clear up a bit my mind to ask the right questions.

Many thanks in advance

bak94

So sorry you are going through this again, I think it is emotionally harder with the second diagnoses. As far as your question, that does seem to be the standard of practice. Just write down all of your questions before you go to your appointment. I hope someone else comes here and helps answer this for you, but I just wanted to offer some support, as I have also done this twice! I am wondering if yours is actually a new primary rather than a recurrence? They say mine was a new primary. Let us know how your appointment goes.

everdream

Many thanks for your response and support bak94

Mine does seem to be a new primary one as it is HER+ and the previous i had in 2007 was HER-. I asked my doc about it and he confirmed this.

Next wednesday i have a new appointment with him. There they will tell me what type of treatment the team has finally planned for me. I hope the final results of the biopsies will not show any more nodes positives. I just could not help worrying.

hrf

Everdream, sorry you have to do this a second time. I had 3 1/2 years between first and second which was also a new primary rather than recurrence. I found the second time to be more difficult, both emotionally and physically. It's been 4 years since the second and I still worry. Best wishes to you.

bluepearl

SAme boat here....two years between...first was 1cm second in other breast was .8cm. I had sentinel node, 0/3 and had mastectomy (both)...now am on tamoxifen...no chemo or rads for either. Since your second cancer is Her+, it IS a new primary (which is better than a recurrence), small and don't worry about the micromets because dollars to donuts you'll be getting chemo anyways and herceptin......with a GOOD prognosis afterwards! Micromets are not considered THAT dangerous these days. There was a time they treated breast cancers under 1 cm with surgery and hormones but now with ANY high risk factors (ER/PR-, LVI, Her+ etc.) they treat with chemo. So sorry you have to go through this again. It makes us very untrusting of our bodies.

shorfi

I'm apologizing in advance because I am not sure where to post this.



I was diagnosed again with breast again on 6/19/13 with DCIS. I had SNB on June 21,2013 and it was negative...much to my relief. I am now seeing the plastic surgeon on July 9th for consultation and will be scheduled to have a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction.



Initially I had just had breast MRI one week prior to all this and an ultrasound, mammogram as well as ultrasound needle core biopsy was ordered. Needless to say I was petrified. When the results came back on the 19th I was a mess. I had already scheduled an appointment with my breast surgeon about having a mastectomy and the results that she gave me in the office only confirmed my decision to go ahead with this surgery.



I have been so tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop...and it did. I want to experience the freedom from worrying all the time about breast cancer. Of course I realize that it is not 100 percent, but the anxiety from all the scans, mammograms, tumor, follow up doctor appointments leaves me feeling anxious all the time. Mentally I'm tired, but feel like I'm in a good place now because I am going to do this. I have the full support from my wonderful husband and of course my breast surgeon.



I just needed to vent and also if you ladies have any opinions or suggestions I do welcome them. Thank you in advance.