Local control and long term survival

Yes - you have had a very bumpy ride - and there is no doubt that oncs make mistakes when they interpret scans. A recent study in Europe (Holland I think) did a big review of literature and analysed the overall survival of stage IV patients who had surgery vs those who didn't. The study showed a definite bias for longer survival for those who had surgery vs those who didn't. As Kerry said - the surgery - while no fun - is not as bad as you would think and statistically it seems that it does give an overall survival advantage - which may not seem like much right now - but believe me - it means a lot as time goes by. You will find a lot of information on this site and a lot of stories showing how hard people struggle to fight this disease. The boyfriend has sure picked a miserable time to let you down - but do everything you can to be around for a long time - help him regret his decision by living a long and happy life without him. There must be some reason the drs are recommending surgery - stage IIIC while better than IV is still pretty serious - surgery and follow up is probably the best path to that long and happy life

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Fidelia 

If you were Stage IV, but you're not, the evidence is conflicting about whether surgery helps.  I think it would have to be based on where all the cancer is.  However, you are Stage III, which means if you don't do the surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to reduce the risk of the cancer spreading, your risk is higher that the cancer will show up somewhere else later.  No doctor can tell you for sure what your future looks like. 

I'm sorry to hear about your boyfriend bailing on you.  I wouldn't base any of my treatment decisions on that situation, though.  A good man will stay through thick and thin.....

bambers88 ~ I'm so sorry you have had to deal with such a struggle.  I will not give you any advice but, rather, encouragement to try and trust your oncologist.  If he is recommending surgery, there is a good reason.  You have a good size tumor that is growing cells within it ever day.  Those little cancer cells are just multiplying and multiplying.  Think of your body as a nice green healthy lawn and there is one dandelion with the puffy seed pod just blowing off little seeds in the air and landing in different parts all over that lawn. The dadelion should be taken out before it seeds the rest of the lawn, so more don't grow, and before you know it, there are little yellow flowers all over that once green lawn, and each little yellow flower is turning into that little white puffy seed pod, ready to keep overtaking that lawn.  Cancer cells are the same way.  They start in your tumor, and the little cells within shed into your lymph nodes and also can get into your blood vessels and other tissues.  Your lymph nodes can then become infected with the cells and spread them throughout your entire blood system into distant organs of the body.  Breast cancer cells like to spread up the nodes in your clavicle area and to the bone, brain,spine, liver, and even into your throat.  These cells like to cluster and form new tumors also.  It's just a constant growing phase. If your oncologist wants you to allow a breast surgeon who is skilled in removing that cancer seeding tumor, then please consider taking his advise.  Mastectomy is do able and not a really painful surgery to deal with.  There is always the morphine pump too  I too had a 5.2 cm  tumor in my left breast.  It spread to 2 lymph nodes.  My breast surgeon removed my breast and 17 lymph nodes to make sure there were only 2 infected nodes.  The tumor was shown to be clear of margins and had not yet had a chance to spread into the surronunding tissue and blood vessels. I am hopeful that the mastectomy and node dissection will have gotten every cancer seed that was multiplying from that tumor, and not have the chance to go and "seed" other parts of my body.  So that is my opinion, and welcome to this fine group of women to share your breast cancer journey with.  Oh and as for the boyfriend, if he ends up getting a guilty conscience and comes around again, don't make it easy for him.  Better to loose a guy who can't stick with you for the hard times.

You can do this, bamber.  Keep us posted on how you are doing?   I like your attitude about your ex boyfriend.  He was in your life for a reason.

if it makes you feel any better bambers.. i dated a guy for a while.. 3 years or so.  Not only was he a drinker, he passed off some counterfeit money to me after we broke up.. (when i deposited it in my bank, all hell broke loose and he went to jail)

...a couple years later I found out he was married and had been all the time.  Oddly he was the only guy I dated in 14 years and i thought he was special.  (just another felonous crook, cheater and addict and i thought he was cool)

did i ever feel like a fool.  i should have listened to my parents.

good luck on the 23rd. 

Diagnosis: 5/10/2008, IDC, 5cm, Stage IIIc, Grade 3, 4/9 nodes, ER+

bambers88 -

Thanks for joining!  You've already taught me something - I wasn't told that PETs reveal any inflamation.  So everytime I pull out my PET reports and see the "uptake at ...." I was assuming that it was cancer related.  This makes me feel much better.

My first appt with the surgeon is March 18th.  It's unclear whether I'm through with chemo (potentially 3 weeks left) so I don't know when my bilat is going to happen.  But I understand your resistance to surgery if it's unclear that it makes a difference.  I just don't like the idea of cutting into the body and disrupting the whole system unless there is a definite gain.  But as stage 3'ers  it does help our overall survival.  So here we go....