Mother & Sisters with Breast Cancer?

Lorinda, hugs to you.

I just saw this thread.  My sister became the family history in 1995 at the age of 38.  My mother was dx in 2000 at the age of 70.  I was dx in 2004 at the age of 49.  I have one more sister who so far is clear.  I did see my ob/gyn today and he wants me to do the genetic testing.

My sister was diagnosed in 1999 and is a strong survivor. She has truly been my inspiration. I was dx last November 2007.

Joan

Hi all, 

We did not have a family history of breast or any cancer, for that matter,  in the family on either mother or father's side.  Needles to say, I was devastated when at the age of 38, I was dx with ca of the rt breast.  I was the first of 4 sisters and the one of the middle children in the family.  My oldest sister was dx 3 yrs after I was dx at the age of 44.  And 2 yrs after she was dx, I was dx again on the left side w a different ca they said.  Both times I was stage 1 and both times I was ER & PR positive.   Two years ago, another of my sisters was dx w bilateral breast ca.  Both stage 3.   And last year my mom was dx with bilateral breast cancer, both stage 2.   My youngest sister has been screened and she is okay.  However I have a daughter, and 6 granddaughters, for which I am terribly afraid for now. 

Both my older sister and I have had the Genetic testing.  My sister's test came back negative for the BRACA1 and BRACA2 test. My BRACA1 came back negative and the BRACA 2 was inconclusive.  Which just means, I was told, that there is still a gene that has not yet been identified.

 I am a 16 year survivor and thank the Lord for every day that I am on this earth.   I thank him for giving me the strength and courage and hope and the love and support from my family to help me cope and survive those dreadful days.    I pray for my children and grandchildren and my mother and father, my sisters and all my family, because this disease does not discriminate as we all know.  And I pray that  one day there will be a cure all cancers.     

My family, brothers, sisters, kids, grandkids, all celebrate our lives on Susan Komen Race for the Cure day in our city.  We all walk for HOPE and for the CURE.  And afterwards we just celebrate all our survivors with a big family reunion.   It is just so overwhelming, to see how many people are affected by this disease in your city.  

I recommend to all who haven't done so, to join the walk in your area. 

Love you all!!!

Carmen

lorinda..i just wanted to say i'm sorry about your mom.

 g

My mother was diagnosed at age 58 with bc and died at 61 after bone mets.  This was in the late '60's -- she had had no adjuvant therapy following her mastectomy.  She was also the first, and only one, in her family to develop bc, and had virtually no risk factors other than age.  Her 2 sisters both lived well into their 90's.

My sister Jan died of leukemia at age 46 in 1986.  My sister Jo was dx with ovarian at age 59 in 1995 and is still going strong.  My sister Mari was diagnosed with ovarian at age 68 in 2004 and is also a survivor.  She was tested for the BRCA genes 1 and 2, and was negative.

I was diagnosed with BC this year at age 59, and, unlike my mom, had 6 of 8 risk factors.  Chemo was highly recommended primarily because of my family history. 

 While many people feel that a cure won't be found until the cause is discovered, I do strongly believe that there are several causes for breast cancer.  In the meantime, I am so very thankful that researchers around the world are working together to find the best treatments for us. 

Hi to all.. This thread interests me because I have a family history of cancer. My dad was the first to be diagnosed with hogdkins in 1992. Later in 1994 my elder sister who was 29 yrs old, married, no kids was diagnosed with breast cancer. She lost her battle with cancer on June 7th 1996. I was diagnosed with BC in April 1996 at the age of 29 yrs and operated on 28th of April. Been through chemo but no rads. Then in 2004 my Mom was diagnosed with BC again. She lost her battle after two recurances on 1st January 2006. I have a younger sister and brother who thankfully do not have to deal with Cancer. I have been doing well after my treatment. So here I am after 12 yrs sharing my story with you .

My maternal grandmother and mother were both diagnosed with post-menopausal bc (my mom had DCIS, lumpectomy and rads at age 74). My grandmother died of something else and my mom's still going strong at 82. I'm the oldest of three sisters, diagnosed in 2003 with IDC at age 54, then again in 2006 with DCIS in the other breast. At that point, I was tested for BRCA, which was negative. My onc, who's a genetic specialist, says almost certainly I carry some gene mutation they haven't yet identified. So far, my two younger sisters are okay.

My husband just got tested for BRCA this week. His mom had bc twice, once at age 31, then a new primary at age 46. She also had an early-stage melanoma. Then pancreatic cancer struck when she was 80. After surgery, she had two years of miraculous good health, but then the cancer spread, and she passed away last week. My husband had surgery for prostate cancer last year at the age of 58 and his brother had a nodular (very aggressive) melanoma removed two years ago. When I casually mentioned all this to my onc, she said it's likely my m-i-l carried the BRCA defect and suggested my DH get tested.

But Fitztwins has a good point--even if he's negative, that doesn't mean he (or my kids) are home free. Given his brother's melanoma, he's already being screened regularly for that. I wish they'd figure out a way to screen for pancreatic cancer, not to mention ovarian.

Barbara

I am the only one in my family with bc.  Older and younger sisters thankfully are cancer free as was my mother before she passed away.  My father died of colon/liver cancer.

My mother was the first to be dx, that was 20 years ago she had lumpec.rads. She is healthy today at 81. I am the youngest child of 4, 3 girls and a boy. I was dx. in 2005, at the age of 46 er/pr pos. and mets to bones. Initial lump was 1.7cm, lumpec., chemo, rads, zometa, tamoxifen. Mother was tested for gene, negative. I will be tested soon, no other cancer anywhere in the family, Thank God, Jan 

Mom had her first primary in her early 50's (radical mastectomy - I remember the reach for recovery people and a pully contraption that she used to haul up her arm on the surgical side with the other). She had her second primary in her early 70's and had bilateral recon in her mid-70's.  She's 86 and lived "long enough to have every other disease in the book" as I like to say. Hanging on to drive us all completely crazy.

Sister had DCIS at 40.

I had IDC at 49 - first in the family to go to chemo. Lucky me.

When I was diagnosed my maternal half sister got really nervous and paid for my mom to have genetic testing (mom wouldn't do it when I asked her to when my sister was diagnosed - too expensive - don't get me started on how much money she's spent on herself over the years but wouldn't spend for her daughters' health) and it was all negative - they did much more than BRAC. Some day they'll figure out the genetic connection.

Everyone in my family dies of heart disease.

My mother was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at age 55 (just at the point of menopause) and after finding a lump. She died 7 years later after she was deemed "cured". The cancer recurred and she died within 3 weeks of recurrence.

I was diagnosed with DCIS, found by mammogram, at age 53 (still perimenopausal). My grandmother and all her sisters had female-hormone related cancers (uterus, breast). As far as I know, the cancers did not occur before 50. 

As a result, I was referred to the genetics counselor and had BRCA testing (insurance paid 100%). The good news for my two daughters was that the tests were negative. However, the genetics counselor advised it is likely there is some genetic relationship...just not discovered yet. So, my daughters, now in their 20s, know to be vigilent in their surveillance of self BSE and advising their physicians of the family history. Of interest was the recommendation that they not start mammograms until 40.  Their risk of BC is 22% compared to the 12% of the general population.

My mother and daughter were dx within 6 mths of each other.  My dd had rhabdomysarcoma and died 23 months later.  My mom had DCIS and is now 81 and doing great.  My p53 gene was tested.  A minor, but insignificant, variance was found.  My docs agree that there are probably MANY genetic causes that just haven't been discovered yet that lead to cancer.

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer the same year as Betty Ford & Happy Rockefeller. She had a modified radical mastectomy and lived long and well. My sister and I were diagnosed this year, within a matter of months. That makes the women in my immediate family 3 for 3. Hope my daughters and nieces fare better.

In this crazy world of uncertainty, my tiny family had a few moments of our own. I would love to show my mom the world and even more, help her gain the confidence to feel a lil' sexy again. Last year at age 44, mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like most people, we never thought cancer would strike this close to home. 6 months, 2 surgeries and one mastectomy later, my mom has beaten her testy opponent. I will never forget how strong my mom is. Never complaining, never asking why, just waking up each morning ready to face the day. And doing it with courage, grace...and laughter. My mom amazed us with her strength. For giving me a hero, I would like to give back and tell my mom thanks.

Love you mom!

My maternal grandmother had bc in the 60's when she was in her late 80's, had a mastectomy and lived to be 92. My mother had widespread sites of DCIS and had a mastectomy, died 6 years later of CHF at 89. She also had a melanoma on her face when she was in her early 60's that was caught early and needed only excision as well as a precancerous bowel polyp early 80's that my GI doc counts as cancerous. Her sister, my aunt, had a mastectomy in her early 80's and died from a brain tumor in her late 80's. Her daughter, my cousin who is 65, just finished chemo for bc last summer while her other daughter had lung cancer in her late 40's that was caught early, had her lung removed and is doing fine at 70. One of my mother's brothers had stomach cancer in his 30's, died of pancreatic cancer in his early 70's. One of my maternal cousins just finished radiation for prostate cancer. My sister had dcis four years ago at 61, had a lumpectomy and radiation and is doing fine. Her son, my nephew, had eweings sarcoma at 11 in the early 70's and is doing well. I was dx'd 2/09 with ILC and had bilat mast with two more sites including one in the contralateral breast found in pathology. My Dad died of untreated lymphoma last summer at 92, had had prostate cancer for over 10 years and had a cancerous bowel polyp removed in his late 70's. Two of his siblings had lymphoma but died of something else except his sister who died of melanoma in her early 80's. Another half sister had non Hodgkins lymphoma in her 40's and currently is early 80's and being worked up for a pancreatic mass.Their mother, my paternal grandmother, had some kind of blood disorder that my fuzzy brain can't remember the name of when she died at 89. There are sprinklings of more remote cousins with cancers of various types.

It's certainly in the genes. I've been working on a family "cancer map" in preparation for genetic testing.