How serious is stage 1, low grade cancer?

Ilovechocolate...Hope you're doing well!  My thoughts and prayers are with you too.

2tzus I had a similar experience with the MRI/US. The MRI found a small amount of LCIS in my other breast. LCIS typically does not show up on mammos and US. My surgeon also does the MRI before surgery. Although not 100% gives a much better picture than a Mammo or US.

 Barry -

Here's what AliceAnn wrote on the Mucinous Carcinoma of the breast thread last year.  She hasn't posted in a few months.  Her mucinous breast cancer was HER2+ and Grade 3 and node positive, which is an unusual presentation.    I hope she's doing well.  I do think of her from time to time.

Mucinous Carcinoma of the breast

So glad I found this discussion group.  It is difficult to find information about mucinous breast cancer.  I have been dealing with this for eight years and am Stage IV Grade 3.  First of all, it is apparent to me that the young ages of the women posting here is significant and the latest news about the difficulty in diagnosing from mammograms is not a surprise to me.  I had been religious in having a mammogram done yearly and never had a doubt all was well.  By the time it broke through the fat pad, it was 5 cm.  Although everyone claims it was slow growing, I believe that the tumor grew rapidly after diagnosis.  It required a mastectomy and there was extensive lymph node involvement on the left side.  Chemo, Rad., Taxol, and I was back in business thinking this is what was needed to repair the damage of the cancer.  About a year later, I had reconstruction on the breast and started to feel good about myself.  Within seven months, I had a recurrence on my right side based on a suspicious lymph node in a CT scan.  Onc and surgeon felt there would be no problem, but we decided a surgical biopsy just in case.  Went to sleep and woke up hearing a nurse talk about getting a bed for me.  Huh? I said, "Why do I need a bed?"  The right side was loaded with involvement of cancer in the lymph system.  More chemo and radiation at the same time.  SEs were very bad and I ended up with a frozen shoulder in the process and serious lymphedema as well.  I have since had two small contained recurrences in the reconstructed left breast which the surgeon removed easily.  Right now, I have gone 3-1/2 years without a recurrence, which is pretty good.  I am on Herceptin, once every three weeks and Femara once a day to try to keep this in check.  So far...So good!  I am not trying to pop anyone's balloon, but be vigilant.  

Diagnosis: 7/7/2006, IDC, 5cm, Stage IV, Grade 3, 15/18 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2+

barry, most insurances will pay for a 2nd opinion. If unsure call them to find out. I know for me having the 2nd opinion has been very important in my treatment choice.

Thank you Ilovechocolate... It does help... you have explained it well.

chocolate...Not sure if its right for me... you said there are some limitations.. I am also looking for replacement not up-sizing, but I am a C+/D- so if one step goes to C only, that is smaller perhaps than me now... just want to look the same....

and so they decided for you to NOT spare your nipples? Or it just didn't work out in the end?

My cancer never showed up on multiple tests, even over a 6 month period. I am so glad we decided to remove the lump.

bdavis

the deal was if there was cancer behind the nipple or close to the nipple they would remove it and it would be decided during surgery - so it was a pleasant suprise to know that I have them- hope this helps

chocolate

Barry, my son was diagnosed with RSD and all I can say is that it is a lousy diagnosis.    I don't know all of the ramifications of the disease and surgery, but I do know that any minor injury  would cause a flare up that took a long time to get other control.  When he was diagnosed twelve years ago, he was told that it would 'burn out' eventually.  I don't know if his RSD has done that, but it is easier to control these days.  In any case, I can understand your caution about surgery and hope your decisions become obvious.

Barry, I think my son developed RSD after an undiagnosed fracture in his foot.  His feet burned and he couldn't wear socks or shoes and obviously had a great deal of trouble walking.  I don't think he had problems with the joints being stiff or frozen, but did have temperature changes and skin color changes in his feet.  It was hard to get a diagnosis.  They wound up doing a sympathetic nerve block to diagnosis it.  He took high doses of neurontin for several years, then weaned himself off it.  A difficult process. but he was concerned about its effect on his mental agility.

It is hard to get a doctor to look at the whole picture.  They want to look at their specialty, where they feel comfortable and often have tunnel vision.  When I was being diagnosed, I was also seeing a osteopathic doctor.  I was able to talk with her at length about the decisions I was being faced with and found that very helpful.  A doctor can give you your options and the pros and cons of each option, but you are still the one who has to decide.

congrats i love chocolate!!! happy healing

feeling punkish today- have an upper respiratory and ear infection with a swollen lymph node (which of course freaks me out and makes me think i have lymphoma) in the neck..bs sent me right to my primary doc who put me on augmentin...i must say I am sick of being sick...and being sick has made me low and that leads to secnd guessing now I am scared of my decision to do the natural route instead of AIs and have to decide if I should just bite the bullet and start them...all the factors I was handed make me fortunate...grade stage type onco score etc...it makes me wonder if i am tempting fate trying this route instead of medically approved treatment...ack...i get my estrogen level test back tomorrow and perhaps that will help me decide...sorry for rambling...