Cancer in other breast?

Hi,

Good question. I am curious too about this. Thanks. G

What my oncologist told me, and what I know that other women here have also been told, is that once you've been diagnosed with BC, your risk to get it again - a new primary in either breast, not a recurrence of the original cancer - is about double the average for someone your age.  I was 49 when diagnosed; the average 49 year old has about an 11% chance of getting BC during her remaining lifetime (to age 90).  So my risk was about 22%.  For each year that I don't get BC, my risk goes down, simply because there are fewer years in my "remaining lifetime".  I'm now 52 and my risk is probably closer to 20% now. 

Of course, as with any risk calculation, everyone is different and our personal & family health histories have to be taken into consideration.  But as a general guideline, the "2 times the average" rule is probably as good as anything.

Mine was DCIS left breast when 37-lumpectomy with rads.  Now at 54- 2009 LCIS right breast and atypical lobular now in left.  So BMX done.  BRAC negative, no family history.   Now what were my odds!!

I won this lotto twice too...wasn't any fun the second time around either, but I got through it again so I am not complaining.

ConRee : I had genetic testing done. The geneticist I talked with DID count all family history, including my dad's.

WHY would someone think it didn't count, I wonder? DNA is DNA.

I discovered a lump in my right breast that turned out to be IDC.  MRI done during the testing stage right after diagnosis showed a second IDC in my left breast.  After MRI guided biopsy it ended up being a separate primary.  This is more common than I thought after I got this news and I am glad that we have such sensitive screening tools now as mammo and u/s did not see anything suspicious at all in my left breast.  I also had bilateral mx and will have my implant exchange in December.  My two primaries were more similar than Lilly1955's but not identical.  I was shocked to find out that I had BC at all at age 36 but I was blown away to have it in both breasts.  I think my onco was shocked that I was not triple neg or even Her2+.  I also had a doctor tell me several years back that paternal side does not count as family history.  My paternal grandmother had BC 41 years ago and is a healthy 88 year old now.  This is rubbish and malpractice to say that to anyone.  We get 50% of our dna from maternal and 50% from paternal.  Both count equally.  I am BRCA 1&2 negative.  I have done bilateral mx,chemo,tried Tamox and found out I was a poor metabolizer, total hysterectomy and now Femara.  I do not care to see this beast EVER again.  To answer the original question asked (sorry I went off on a tangent) I think that someone who has had BC in one breast may be more likely to have it in the other but as I stated before cancer follows no rules and there is most likely no reason to believe that the same series of events that lead  the cells in one of your breasts to mutate will occur in the other.  My grandma had a radical mx of her right breast in 1968, no chemo, rads, hormonal that we have today and has had no reccurence in  the other breast.  I hope the same to you and all of the ladies here that had onesided BC.  I know that you will be watched so closely that any little thing that stands out in the other will be caught and destroyed early.  Best wishes for a lifetime of reminiscing about that ONE time that you had breast cancer.......

Hello girls... i first had dcis invasive cancer left breast in Aug.06.  Mast. Adramyacin and Taxol (8treatments) 3 years almost to the day.. found out through mammogram that i had a 1.2.cm tumor in the Right Breast. Mast. and dose dense of Taxotere (4 treatments).  Finished one the other day... but some on the reading I have seen is that there is about a 10% chance of getting cancer in the other breast if already had it once.   

I'm with you with the questions. I had a right mx in febuary. I  Had a yearly MRI 4 days ago  and  it questioned an area on my remaining left side. 10 months have passed since my last MRI which left me clear. Does cancer grow in ten months? Do MRI's, or the interpreters, vary? Is everyone so paniked about a  post cancer patients that they red flag every thing? I will follow procedure with a biopsy but am bummed because I will most likely have to put off my Diep till this is settled. Not feeling too cheerful at the news.