Cancer in post mastectomy, reconstructed breast?

Kadyann,  If you've read any of the "2nd timers" or "recurrence" threads, you know that we are never out of the woods.  I would say that we are all IN the woods together and you'd better keep your eyes open for the beast!  How poetic!!  My experience has proven that you must ALWAYS ask for a 2nd opinion, biopsy, new scan, if you have a gut feeling about a lump.   I've found radiologists that specialize in bc to be the most skilled and understanding people.  The've seen it all and know that a recurrence can be a reality, not just a statistic.   

Christy2, you're not going crazy, and I wish more bs's understood the feeling of "not knowing" and how crippling it can be.  Good luck with the PET scan...I'm fairly sure that fat necrosis can show up anytime after surgery, just like lymphedema, encapsulation.  

1. thanks Kadyann. My fingers are crossed for necrosis! It is aggrevating that I had this bilat. for peace of mind and it just seems like there is always something anyways. Don't get me wrong i am glad that I did because I don't know my family history due to adoption I guess i just need to quit looking so often then these little lumps might just work their way out on their own.

Hello :  I had a Mastectomy 10 years ago,  I was diagnoised with a small skin BC lesion and have been successfully treated with surgery, chemo and radiation of the same breast 10 years later. It is frightneing and a re live of an unpleasant cituation, but very treat able and i am doing quite well!!

I had  preventive mastectomies (never had cancer) back in Nov 2007 after being diagnosed with the BRCA 1.  Had the reconstructive surgery done within a year.  Just Friday I found a lump on one of my breasts.  Dr. is sending me for an ultrasound later this week.  Could I possibly get cancer now after all this?  Anyone in this situation? 

Hi Yorana,

I'm hoping it's benign too - will you let us know?  Biopsy tomorrow?  

Mimi727 - What was your outcome?  I'm assuming negative since you haven't posted anything else.

Laura

Hello,

I had breast cancer in my right breast, had bilateral mastectomy and lat flap reconstruction and then found another lump in my right breast-turned out to be a recurrence found 14 months after original diagnosis.  Now, on the road to recovery, I just found a pea size lump in my left breast (my left breast did not have any signs of cancer in the path reports).  I just don't know if it is anything because there is an implant in and I am not sure if it is some kind of defect in the implant or who knows what else.  I did have a rare form of breast cancer called metaplastic breast cancer and I know it can present itself in many dif. ways, so I can't help but worry.  I am not sure if I should just go see my family Dr, my oncologist is hard to get into and I would feel silly going if it is nothing, I just had my check-up with him in January.  I have an MRI booking coming up in May.  I would have had it sooner, but my radiation oncologist wants to make sure tissue has healed from treatment (last one was Dec 30) before they do the scan.  There has been no reason to think I should get an MRI any sooner.

I just wish this disease would leave me alone.  I am worried about every lump and bump and pain anywhere else in my body.  I have a head ache, or a pain in my back, or a cough and I worry.  I lie in bed at night feeling this "new lump" and it feels like it will never end. Sorry, just venting.

Hi Kadyann; Sorry I just saw your post of Nov of this year.  My second diagnosis was January of last year and my docs feel it was NOT a new primary, but a recurrence of the original...

Simdavidson"  I totally agree with what you said.  I would go to the surgeon. A lump is a lump. get it checked.  why worry...

I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with a skin-sparing mastectomy.  I have a pacemaker and was told they might not be able to get all the tissue around the pacemaker site.  Since I was only stage 1, I was not concerned.  It has now been a year, and I just felt a medium-sized lump under my arm.  I'll be calling my doctor tomorrow, but I am now very concerned.

Hello, I had my mastectomy on my right breast in 1994, reconstruction surgery in 1997, in November 2010 I had to have my implants replaced, on February 23 2011 I had a mammogram, there was something unusual showing so they did an ultrasound, on March 1 I will go in for a biopsy. For the last three days I have tried to feel this lump again but I can't find it. I know the lump was there, I felt it the day of my mammogram. Has this happened to anyone else. I had no idea cancer could come back when there was no breast tissue. I am so happy I found this site, I've learned so much from reading here. Thank you for all your help!

This thread makes me sad.  Did none of your doctors ever tell you that a mastectomy is not a guarantee of removing cancer forever?  It will dramatically lower your odds of course, but they can never get all breast tissue and cancers often come back in scars or remaining tissue.  That's one of the reasons I chose to leave my healthy breast alone.  The odds of cancer showing up in the healthy breast are very slim in the first place, and in the 2nd, you can still get cancer anyway.  If it wants to come it will come.

I think doctors ought to better prepare patients for this possibility. I've seen it happen enough times on this board so that I know it isn't horribly rare.  

I hope that for each one posting here it's just scar tissue!   

Tonda,

So you surgery was in Sept and then the hematoma's showed up in Feb?  That's weird!  And the hematoma's were on the opposite side of this new lump? The pain associated could just be because you've had surgery recently? 

For me, I just wanted to get an answer and be done with the worrying/guessing.  When I found my lump, I called my Oncologist who told me to go to my breast surgeon.  My surgeon did an ultrasound and a biopsy right there in the office.  Just a few days later I had my answer.  In my opinion, you've been through the ringer, you have a right to be suspicious.  I'd call the surgeon and have him take a look.  If he is waivering on if you need the biopsy, then I'd push it if you feel you want one.  It's your body, it's your life, it should be your choice on how aggressive you want to be to find out.  If you do the biopsy and it's nothing, GREAT!  who-hooo!  We'll celebrate!   If you wait another six month, and find out later it's a recurrence, you are going to wish you knew that when you first found it.   There are plenty of people who have scar tissue and fatty necrosis show up in lumps.  I certainly hope you are one of them..... keep us posted and take care!!

Laura 

Hi Tonda,

I'm glad you made the appt.  Promise you'll post back on this thread when you find something out either way, ok?

Laura

I had a biopsy this morning and will find out the results either late Friday or Monday.  My doctor thinks it is Fatty Necrosis so that is a good thing (not that it sounds so great LOL)  will post results when I get them, thanks for all the advice fellow sisters ; )

Hi, I had originally been diagnosed 12 years ago. I had both breasts removed and lymph nodes in right side removed. In december I felt a lump just below where my port had been. I figured it was probably scar tissue or something. I set up an appt with my surgeon and went in. They did a PET scan and a punch biopsy. Surgeon said it was probably scar tissue, but due to my previous history we better check it out. I went back and the results were that my breast cancer had returned. Puzzled, I looked at him and said I don't have boobs how could it have come back. He said that sometimes it just takes a couple of cells left behind after the masectomy. So I had tumor removed. He got a clear margin when it was removed. Surgeon said I would probably do radiation and take arimedix. He scheduled an appt with oncologist. Well,,the oncologist told me I was the topic of the meeting with the radiation, surgeons and oncologists. They were not sure if I should do chemo or not. Oncologist recommended I do the oncotype test. The test came back that I have a good chance of cancer returning and that chemo agents would work on the cancer. So here I am 12 years later doing the whole thing over. I am doing cytoxan and taxotere. Had severe bone pain, thrush, yeast infection, infection in port. And if all that wasn't bad enough I had to get a shot of neupogen because counts were so low. That caused bone pain too. I seem to be fighting depression. My second round of chemo is June 16th. I am so scared because the first one was a nightmare. Wish me luck. I hope second time around isn't so bad...

Hi Margaret

I could just say "ditto" to what you wrote. So sorry. I too am doing TC. Started June 9th. Dealing with all the issues as you are. Trying to hang in there. I'm hoping each day herein gets better? Day 5 was rough! Up until then I was doing well. I think I had residual DCIS (in addition to the IDC, DCIS, LCIS in original path), that didn't respond to tamox. I was dx'd 5 yrs ago. Stage 1. O nodes. AC dose dense, bilat mast, with bilat recon eventually and tamox. We can do this together!