Need biopsy of lump on scar line

Anonymous · January 2015

I went through treatment for Stage III triple positive IDC last year. AC+T w/Herceptin and Perjeta, left mast and ALND, no reconstruction as of yet, pathology showed strong, but not complete response to chemo. Did radiation, started a clinical trial for TDM1 which is supposed to take me to July, started OS, about to start AI. The Stage III was scary but I had hoped that with my aggressive treatment and good response to chemo, I'd have a good chance of living cancer-free...or at least keeping it at bay for awhile.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I noticed a small lump under the skin at the end of my scar line, right under the arm. This is the opposite side of the original tumor. Because I'm in a study, I have a physical exam+bloodwork every three weeks at a NCI center. The nurse examined the lump and said it was scar tissue. My oncologist examined the lump and said it was scar tissue. But fortunately, I had my six month followup with my surgeon. Her nurse felt the lump today, said it felt like scar tissue to her but sent me for an ultrasound to be safe.

The ultrasound showed a complex solid mass. The report had scary words like "hypervascular" and "poorly defined border." It was rated a BIRADS 4A. The nurse said she thought it is likely a fatty necrosis or some other benign thing leftover from the surgery and radiation but it was suspicious enough for a biopsy. The biopsy is scheduled for Monday.

I know statistically it's more likely to be something benign than more cancer, but it's bringing back all the bad memories of my original diagnosis. Like how it just kept escalating with the doctors getting a little bit more concerned with each step. Plus, if this is a recurrence it must mean that my cancer is highly resistant if it could survive all the onslaught of chemo, radiation, etc and come back when I'm still on my targeted treatment! That can't be good for my prognosis. I spent the last year dedicated to doing everything I could to defeat the cancer and it kills me that it might have all been for absolutely nothing. I'm so scared and sad.

Anonymous · January 2015

Posting so my stats appear.

Tinkerbells · January 2015

just want to send you a big hug. I understand your worry right now. Focus on the very distinct possibility that it is scar tissue or something else. Know that we are all here for you, either way. I agree it is very unlikely it should come back when you are still on targeted treatment. Keep us posted, never worry alone

Jbair79 · January 2015

Hi! So sorry to hear you are dealing with all of this. Fingers crossed for negative findings! I had the sad/scared feelings yesterday and today.

I was looking for a place to ask a similar question to yours.... I had my implant surgery last March and shortly after I began complaining (asking questions) about the hardness along the scar line. Fast forward to now (11 months later), we are talking about nipple reconstruction and I bring up the hard lump that still remains on the breast that had cancer. My PS said it is just scar tissue or fat necrosis. I said, 'how do we KNOW it isn't recurrence'. He said 90% of recurrence that he sees in on the scar line. I said, this area WAS on the scar line but the scar has moved up. He said, OK, to make you feel more comfortable, we'll do an MRI. MRI was not conclusive (though I do not have a copy only what his nurse told me) so I went to my BS who did an ultrasound and biopsy. Fortunately I only had to wait a day for her to call me back. When I heard her voice and not the nurse's, I was sure it was bad news. She said it was a benign lymph node! Well I was relieved but now I'm scratching my head....

I didn't think there were lymph nodes on your breast (this is in FRONT of the implant just below the midline at about the 5:00 - 6:00 area. Why wouldn't a lymph node on the breast have been removed during mastectomy? If it is just a lymph node, then why did on 2 of the 7 pass of the needle during biopsy the needle actually get stuck and the material that came out was white? The radiologist was kind of excited. He seemed genuinely puzzled at what it could be and was looking forward to seeing the results.

Because I had DCIS and had bilateral mastectomy, I'm at low risk of recurrence. I do however keep in the back of my mind that even though the 3 nodes were considered negative, they had 'isolated tumor cells'. So I'm wondering if I call the Breast Health Center and ask to speak with the radiologist that did the procedure, will he talk to me about it? Does the dx make sense to him based on what they saw on ultrasound and he saw when he pulled out the needle? Would the oncologist be the best to explain how the lymph nodes work and why one would be hard and mistaken for fat necrosis or scar tissue? Anyone else ever have this happen?

Thanks to anyone who can give me some insight.

Spookiesmom · January 2015

At my last appointment with my RO, he told me to feel the scar line once a month. Because "if it comes back, that's where it will be". So I'd treat any odd lump as suspicious and get checked out

Anonymous · January 2015

Jbair, that is weird. Do you have any follow up appointment scheduled? If not, I'd push to set one up with your surgeon and onc and go with a list of questions about the whole thing.

I feel similarly confused as to how I could have a recurrence on the opposite side of where my tumor was. My tumor kind of "exploded" as it shrank (I had ELEVEN cm of dead cancer cells in the breast at mastectomy) so I guess its possible the exploding tumor scatter some microscopic live radiation resistant cells over to the other side. The other possibility is that I had suspicious subpectoral nodes on the pre-chemo PET, which were not removed because my surgeon checked them and said they looked clear. I was always a bit uneasy with that but I trust my surgeon to be as aggressive as possible. This is the lady that said she doesn't do lumpectomies on formerly large tumors even if they shrank to nothing because of the aforementioned exploding tumor issue. But now I'm worried that leaving in the subpectoral nodes caused a recurrence. This sucks!

Oh and this is so superstitious, but my mom had a colonoscopy as I was having the ultrasound. Her colonoscopy was fine. I'm happy for her but also for me because when I was originally diagnosed, my mom was diagnosed with BC three weeks later. My aunt had precancer removed from her colon recently so we were all concerned about mom's. But it was clear so one less thing to have deja vu about. And one less thing to worry about.

Anonymous · February 2015

BENIGN! Just lymph node fragments that managed to consolidate and solidify.

theresa45 · February 2015

Wonderful news!!! Congratulations!

Need biopsy of lump on scar line

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