Final diagnosis...and ITC’s in lymph node??

wolfie

Hello all,

I posted in the IDC forum but now have my final diagnosis (finally) and am trying to stay positive with it so looking for others dealing with the same thing. What started out as probably pure DCIS is now 1.5cm DCIS (grade 2/3), with 3mm IDC (grade 2), ER+/PR+ and HER2-, and one of two sentinel nodes testing positive for rare isolated tumor cells with no cluster of cells greater than ten cells or 0.1mm diameter. I am trying to remain positive as my surgeon says it is still all good and I am considered node negative. Treatment will be radiation and tamoxifen only. My first appointment with the oncologist will be on the 11th so he will make the final decision but chemo is not in the plan. I am scared that it has spread and I know that is highly unlikely but that nagging ache in my back just goes to the dark corners of my mind. I am 45 years old with 3 amazing children and a wonderful husband that I want to be around for! Looking for others with ITC’s please

SummerAngel

I had ITCs, too. ITCs are considered node negative because statistics show that women with ITCs have outcomes nearly identical to those with zero tumor cells found outside the breast. Your prognosis is excellent, try not to worry!

Georgia1

I know this is all shocking and horrid, but honestly I agree with SummerAngel that that's a pretty good diagnosis. It will definitely be a hard couple of months for you, but soon this will all be in the rearview mirror and you will be enjoying your family for many, many years to come. If you'd like to get a better read on the back pain, perhaps discuss getting an MRI. But stay positive! We are here for you and happy to answer any questions.

wolfie

Thank you for the positive thoughts! This is such a scary time and I just need to learn to ‘wrap my head around’ this, treat it and live, rather than letting it control my every thought and stealing my days. I know that my diagnosis could be a lot worse and I need to remember that aches and pains do not always mean the worst...just a few months ago I didn’t worry about everything! So happy to see that others have had the same kind of diagnosis and ‘life does go on’!

Luckynumber47

Yes, I had ITCs too. My dr said they just don't know anything about them, that they could be dead cells from the biopsy and the lymph node was doing its job cleaning them up.

Every single one of us has gone through the fears that you voiced. It just goes with the territory. I feel like my good angel and my bad angel are constantly doing battle. The bad side is certain my cough is mets and the good side reminds me it's my sinus. My bad side thinks every ache and pain signals the end and my good side argues that that's why I take letrozole, to shoot down any possibles intruders

Eventually you learn to listen to the good side and get on with your life. So silly and trite to say that time heals all wounds but it's so true. The farther you get from diagnosis the better you'll feel. I put all my fears in a corner and refuse to let them take center stage.

Hope your appt with the MO goes well. Has anyone suggested that you do an Oncotype or Mammaprint test? That's the best way to know for sure whether chemo would be of any help

farmerlucy

I was thinking the minimum size to do the oncotype test is around 3 mm. Certainly worth a call to find out especially because of the ITC. It is good to get as much info as you can early on because you’re always going to wonder.

TatiB

I had ITC’s in one node. My docs all brushed it off as not a big deal. I went to on radiation onc and asked if they could just radiate my armpit to be sure and she said, they could but I wasn’t a case for it. I had no chemo or rads (oncotype 11). Im on tamoxifen now. I had close margins too but the docs still didn’t feel radiation was needed. I’m only 4 months post op I fongers crossed

wolfie

I met with my oncologist and am feeling much better...time to get on with this and kick it to the curb! I am going to be doing radiation (16 treatments plus 4 boosts) and then will try Tamoxifen. Chemo for my situation is absolutely not considered and those pesky isolated tumor cells don’t mean a thing...I am going to believe them! He said that Tamoxifen will only give me about a 0.6% benefit so if I feel too many side effects, he would have no problem with me stopping it. I will definitely give it a try though. He also told me that I am 'pretty much cancer free' and even if I did nothing more at this point, the likelihood of recurrence is 15%...too much for me which is why I am going ahead with radiation but I still feel pretty positive about that! After radiation, I will be around 3-4% recurrence so that is where I am heading. I feel that I need to step back from being online so much and reading about this every day as I seem to be very reactive to everything I am reading and it just keeps scaring me...I need to remain positive as this really was caught very early and I need to remember that most women are out living their lives and not sitting here worrying about every little thing that 'could possibly' happen. Best wishes to all of you and may we all remain cancer free! Hugs

Georgia1

Great to hear! That short course of radiation will reduce the side effects considerably so you are on a good path. Amen to taking a break from the Internet, but when you start radiation you might find you need some support and there's a great group over on the "January RADS" group. Til then, keep that well-deserved optimism!