Tumour growth and blood clots?

McButterfly

Hi, all. I've been away (well, not posting, but reading). I find it challenging to take it in all that's available here, but have so much gratitude for all I've learned and being able to have you all as a resource. We're in this together is what I'm trying to say.

First I took Letrozole, last October. Soon after, in November my upper arm on the cancer-side began to hurt and by December the arm had swollen and had become lymphedema. I had been traveling and when I returned home in February my oncologist took me off the letrozole and I agreed to a short round of radiation to kill some cancer and make more space for veins, nerves, etc at the axilla where the tumours were growing. (surgery not an option as all breast cancer tissue removed in 1995 mastectomy). We did an ultrasound before the radiation and it showed I had developed 2 blood clots since taking the Letrozole.

I was able to compare the results of some recent blood tests, and saw that tumour markers had started a very fast uphill climb in mid-october, when I began the drug.

The oncologist suggested exemestane and I began that after the radiation. During that time I had two blood labs that showed once again, a climb in tumour markers that coincided with the dates of the exemestane, as well as a serious flare-up of the lymphedema, which I'm dealing with now. It's been swollen for 3 weeks and my compression sleeves are too small, I've been going in circles to get appointments for LDM and fitting for a new sleeve. I finally have an appointment this Thursday for both, but worry in the meantime, as the arm feels ready to burst, is so heavy and immobilized I can hardly use it. I am barely active at the moment and just lying around trying to generate healing, relaxing and absorbing love. Now I've been taken off the exemestane and have been offered chemotherapy, which I have never taken, and at my age, 70, don't really want.

Anyone else out there have a similar experience?

Thanks for all your compassion and generosity!

Angela

ksusan

I'm sorry to hear it. I had a family member who had clots, and the medical assumption was that kit was from an undiagnosed tumor. She had a hysterectomy and they found the tumor.

McButterfly

Hi, KSusan, it does sound like tumours and clots are related but I don't get how. does anyone have more experience with this? thank you!

Angela

MelissaDallas

Cancer predisposes you to clotting. I'm not what the mechanism is. I was diagnosed with a PE prior to surgery when I had an ovarian tumor.

Here's some information:

https://www.stoptheclot.org/faq_blood_clots_cancer...

Icietla

Yes, what MelissaDallas says.

Just because of their having cancer, cancer patients are at increased risk for abnormal blood clotting. Some cancers are discovered because of abnormal blood clotting being known as a possible sign of cancer. Some more information at these links__

http://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2014/04/does-cancer-cause-blood-clots/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12407439

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(97)10018-6/fulltext

McButterfly

Hi, Melissa, thanks for the link. Did they put off your surgery because of the PE?

MelissaDallas

McButterfly, they admitted me a couple of days early and started me on blood thinners, stopped them the night before, then I had to do six months of lovenox after

Lula73

are you saying they cannot remove the tumors under your arm-that they’re inoperable? BC can return in other areas where there is no breast tissue and still be removed especially if its causing pain and other issues. You didn’t mention if they biopsied it to confirm it isBC and not a different cancer.

McButterfly

Lula, there has been no talk lately of surgery. It was on the table 2 years ago but was told it would be disfiguring now.The growth has spread from the original spot -- where the drainage tube was after my mastectomy in 1995.