Local recurrence 8 years after MBC and NED

alicia_en_madrid

Dear Ladies:

My mom found a lump in the same area of the mastectomy scar and it turns out it is cancer again. Her history: Ductal (2006) and lobular-multicentric (2008). She then was diagnosed with MBC (the lobular kind) when it was found in one ovary in January 2011. She has remained NED all these years on Aromasil. I am confused that this local recurrence is the ductal kind…

I never thought that she would live these 8 +1/2 years NED and of course I did not expect that after the metastatic diagnoses, the next place where the cancer would appear again would be the same breast.

My questions are these:

- Do you have regular bilateral mammograms or Ultrasounds in both breast or just in one of them if you had a previous mastectomy in the other? I don't know if it makes sense after having being diagnosed with a metastases. My mom felt the lump and requested the Ultrasound. However all these years she has had an US on the other breast every 6 months.

- The doctor ordered a CT scan and a gammography and talked about having surgery in the breast. I am happy with the fact that they mentioned surgery, but I don´t know if it makes sense after having being diagnosed with MBC. Is it common that women diagnosed Stage IV at first diagnoses undergo surgery if they feel well enough?

I wanted to share her history because it is kind of uncommon and it can be helpful for someone who comes here now or in the future searching for information as I have done many times.

I would also appreciate some feedback.

Thank you

Moderators

alicia_en_madrid, we're so sorry about your mom's recurrence. You know there is plenty support on the boards so hope you get responses from other wonderful members soon. Sending warm thoughts and best wishes that her next treatment works well.

The Mods

Cure-ious

Alicia- Because people are surviving so long with MBC, more doctors are moving to get rid of the original tumor- although breast cancer stem cells (the only cells that can seed metastases) are a small part of the tumor, they are nevertheless dangerous, and surgery is an easy way to reduce the overall tumor burden and prolong overall survival.

alicia_en_madrid

Thank you for the replies. Cure-ious I do believe that the fact that my mom had her ovaries removed back in 2011 (this was the place where the mets where found) has probably had an impact on her survival being NED. She was 54 at that time an I guess she was already postmenopausic, but I have wondered a few times if ovaries were were producing some estrogen previous to the surgery.