Recurrence after bilat mastectomy?

Congratulations beckward!  Thank you Julie!  I cannot wait to get pathology results.  Then, clean house.  Thank God for my good family support.  God bless you all.

I just joined this forum as my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and is scheduled for either a single or double mastectomy next week.  There is atypical lobular hyperplasia in the second breast and there is no medical reason to remove.  She may opt to remove anyway to avoid the anxiety of follow-ups on that one.  Is there any research that shows if you remove both that cancer finds its way to a different part of the body instead of the other breast?  This is not worded very well, but my concern is that if she were to get more cancer down the road, it might be good to have that breast there for it to go to versus another part of the body that is tougher to treat?  Has anybody heard anything about this????

Dear Nervous, I agree with barbe1958....based on all of my research and discussions with my doctors...there is no reason to believe that if you remove the other breast the cancer will then just find another spot to go to. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees when dealing with cancer and everyone is different, but your mom needs to work closely with her doctors, research all her options and figure out which treatment plan is best for her. You are obviously a very caring daughter to have come to this site to look for some answers so you are helping her by trying to stay informed.  Your support will mean a lot to her...your mom will get through this like we all have. Remember to take care of yourself too!  Best of luck to you both we will be thinking about you and sending positive vibes!

My results were good!    God bless

Just found out IDC after bilat mast and reconstruction. 5 years out. Here we go. Recovering from surgery....not sure what other tx will be as of yet. Came very unexpectedly, but I have peace. Looks like we're all in this together.....

Annie, that just friggin' SUCKS!!!!!!!!!

Annie,

i am dealing with a similar situation.  I was 6.5 years out.  It is a little up in the air as to whether I am dealing with a recurrence or new primary because of some differences in pathology.  Mine was also found near original site but was surrounded by healthy breast tissue which is somewhat unusually but a good prognastic feature.  I think that I relaxed a little when I got past the 5 year mark, but I don't think that I will be able to do that ever again.  Good Luck!

My original was er/pr negative.  I had dcis with microinvision of 1.9mm.  DCIS was commedo w/ necrosis grade 3.  Current idc is grade 1 er + , her2+.  I received a second opinion this time from the Mayo Clinic and their pathologist felt that 1.9 mm was too small to grade and that it was possible that I had high grade dcis and low grade idc (although from my own research does not sound real common).  However the first was definitely er/pr-.

Well, that's the tricky part because if this is a recurrance the idc was grade 1 so the grade 3 dcis shouldn't have mattered that much.  I am one of those cases that doctors love to discuss and sit around and ponder.  Interesting for them , not so much for me

There was, that was the micro invasion of 1.9mm.  I basically had a whole lot of nasty dcis and just 1.9 mm of microinvasion so my official stage was T1a.  The 1.9 mm was too small to determine her2 so I was basically treated as a triple neg.  I had a mastectomy and no further treatment.  The confusion is that the original diagnosis was high grade idc (original oncologist stands by diagnosis) but this is low grade and looks extremely different under the microscope.  The original 1.9mm is just too small to tell much about so both doctors concede that there is really no way to tell if it is a recurrence or new primary.  Each is leaning a different way so I did go with the more aggressive treatment plan.  It is also unusual to have a grade 1 her2+ cancer.

From my own research and my doctors comments it would seem that having the idc surrounded by healthy breast tissue after a mastectomy is both unusual but good.  I think it was in Dr. Susan Love's book that I read that it is viewed more as residual than a progression of disease. It is much more likely to come back in the scar, skin or nearby lymph nodes.  Radiation was not an option for me at this time but if you did not have it the first time around I bet that will be a recommendation now.  I found that studying my path report was very helpful as I had several things that were quite unusual.  Just had my 3 month checkup yesterday and all is well so far.  You will get through this!! Oh, and I had 2 opinions and both consider this still a "curable situation" for what ever that is worth.  I am fine with NED as long as I am around to become a little old lady.

I was hoping to never have to deal with cancer again, but yet another scare.  I see the surgeon tomorrow for ultrasound and consult.  I was dx in March 2008 after celebrating my 40th birthday and getting my 1st mammogram.  IDC stage II with 2/9 nodes positive.  I chose chemo with double mx.  I just celebrated my 3 years only to find a lump a few weeks later under the "good" boob.  I just hope it has not decided to turn on my too!

Also I have been having a pain between my chest wall and the implant, really bad when I cough or sneeze.  Has anyone else experienced this?

The one thing I try to do is keep positive and not worry about the unknown which we all know is so much easier said than done.  I am thankful for this board and appreciate everyone sharing their stories!  I will hopefully be posting good info tomorrow!

I had breast cancer 4 years ago, with lumpectomy. At the 3 year checkup, they found another lump. Second lumpectomy last year-same breast, but no clean margins (even though I had 2.5 cm margins). When my surgeon was getting clean margins, he took out another tennis ball size lump, and found a 3rd tumor. So then I had the mastectomy last summer. After the swelling went down, I noticed a lump in the mastectomy site. When the insurance would pay, I had it tested (a couple of weeks ago) and it is the same colloidal, estrogen receptor positive, well differentiated cancer as the first three times. I just had a second lump in the same mastectomy site biopsied today.

My oncogen test in 2007 said that I'd reduce my chance of metastasis 4% with tamoxifen, chemo, aromatase inhibitors or radiation, by 2010, those same treatments would reduce my chance of metastasis 10 years from now by 1%. Now I guess it is even lower. I am thinking about turkey tail mushrooms, iodine, hyperthermia, nanoparticles- Does anyone have any experience with these treatments?

As the standard tools don't work well 1% reduced chance of metastasis is way too low for me to want to do those treatments. I'm scared when I read that one of the keys tosurvivability is the amount of time between the mastectomy and a recurrence, and mine was less than a couple of months. I have a great surgeon-super meticulous. I'm wondering if I need to be as scared as I am when I read the research about recurrence after mastectomy?This could have been  a stray cell-andit is the samenot very aggressive cancer. I also read that colloidal cancer is not likely tomove into the lymph system. Any advice from women with similar diagnoses would be appreciated!

hi its teds_pammy again. I went for a biopsy today and the news was good. Dr. says it's a fatty calcium deposit from all the surgery I've had over the last 4 months.

Praying VERY hard for you today Ellen!! Please post back here to let us know how you're doing!