Are slower growing tumors more likely to recur years later?

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lydiabest54
lydiabest54 Member Posts: 18
edited June 2014 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

I just wanted to know are slower growing tumors more likely to recur years later?  This is what I was told from my MO. I had triple negative breast cancer, and she said that  since the tumor that was inside my breast only grew 3cm big within 5 months, that means that it was a slow growing tumor. How does that make it a slower growing tumor if it was grade 3?

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited January 2014

    my tumour was only 1.5 cm and the breast surgeon said it had likely been growing for 2 years. 3.5 cm in 5 months seems like an extremely fast growing tumour.  I don't understand.

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  • Luah
    Luah Member Posts: 1,541
    edited January 2014

    3.5 cm in 5 months is not slow growing, and Grade 3 is considered aggressive. Most TNs are faster growing and grade 3. It's reasonable that faster growing tumours -- if they don't fully respond to treatment -- are more likely to show up earlier as a recurrence. That's why TN recurrence rates tend to drop off dramatically after 3 years and flatten out to at or below ER+ recurrence rates. 

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  • lydiabest54
    lydiabest54 Member Posts: 18
    edited January 2014

    I don't understand either. When I first discovered the lump inside my breast it was in August of 2007.  At that time I found the tumor there, I don't know how many inches it was, but it was about the size of a quarter when I first discovered it there. Doctors did not get me in to perform surgery until 5 months later.  When the tumor was finally removed, I was told from the surgeon that it was 3cm big. I am just afraid because I was told that slower growing tumors have tendency to recur later.

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited January 2014

    i don't know about slow growing tumors recurring. Can you post a link to that?

    At any rate your tumor appears to be fast growing so wouldn't count. Maybe your doctor can clarify this for you?

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  • lydiabest54
    lydiabest54 Member Posts: 18
    edited January 2014

    @wrenn, I did not read this from an online article. This is what I was told from my MO at my appointment yesterday.   And I read this as well before from another member on this board.  I don't remember the person's name.  My MO says the tumor was a slow growing one. She said if it were a faster growing tumor, it would have been much bigger than what it was.

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited January 2014

    oh. Ok. Well i guess you have to trust your MO or hopefully someone here will post with more information.   I hope you don't get a recurrnce either way.  This is scary business.  Take care of yourself.

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