Can cancer spread during chemo?

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many
many Member Posts: 254
edited September 2015 in Stage III Breast Cancer

The pathology of my wife's bc is given under her name .she got mx & alnd done advised FEC *4+ TAXOTERE *4 ,already took #2fec ,3rd on6tj sep .she got a pet scan done prior to surgery which showed mass in rt breast and lymph nodes involved ,allof which was removedduring surgery now on to #3 on FEC .my questioning - can cancer metastasize anywhere else during chemo ?(pet did not show any other involvement)

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  • anonymice
    anonymice Member Posts: 532
    edited August 2011

    Yes, cancer can spread during chemo if the chemo doesn't work or stops working on the specific cancer - also if you have more than one type of cancer it might work on one lesion but not another and possibly other reasons. But, your wife has just started her therapy and doesn't have a tumor to monitor now.  If you're asking because she seems to have symptoms of mets, mention it to the oncologist.  

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  • many
    many Member Posts: 254
    edited August 2011

    There arena symptoms of mets ,I am asking out of anxiety

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  • Beeb75
    Beeb75 Member Posts: 325
    edited August 2011

    No news is good news, when it comes to cancer. There's no reason to think the chemo (followed by hormonal therapy afterwards, yes?) won't do its job of killing any remaining microscopic cancer cells. Believe that it will. Remember that with all the treatment we get these days, even more advanced breast cancers can be tamed. A recent study at MD Anderson found that 75 percent of women with "regional" disease (aka positive nodes) survived 10-years and beyond.

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  • many
    many Member Posts: 254
    edited August 2011

    She is advised FEC*4+ TAXOTERE *4 and 35 radiation followed with Tamoxifen for 5 years

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  • Kay_G
    Kay_G Member Posts: 3,345
    edited August 2011

    I think we all have fears of cancer spreading.  It would be highly unusual to spread during chemo.  I just had AC*4 and Taxotere*4 neoadjuvantly.  They did a great job on the tumors.  Shrunk it from over 4 cms to 1.2 cms.  Hope that makes you feel better.

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  • Pure
    Pure Member Posts: 1,796
    edited August 2011

    Yes, it would be HIGHLY unusal.... Not often happens..At all... I would look into Zometa as well.

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  • Lowrider54
    Lowrider54 Member Posts: 2,721
    edited August 2011

    many...it would be highly unusual but could occur if the situation Pamonymous suggests.  Keep in mind that all during chemo, tests are conducted and should a situation arise, adjustments will be made to treatment. 

    After chemo and only 2 years of tamoxofin (I was a risk in another area) - I am happy to let you know I am over 13 years out from the point of finding my lump.  With the node involvement, I realized I would have a risk of recurrence.  It did 2 years ago but only in the bones and I have been stable until just recently where a very uncommon situation has occurred but within 6 rounds of chemo, the docs are confident I can return to stable.

    Hope this helps a bit

    LowRider

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  • AnacortesGirl
    AnacortesGirl Member Posts: 1,758
    edited September 2011

    many -

    I completely understand your anxiety.  But it is very good news that the PET scan did not show any areas other than the breast and axilliary nodes.  PET scans are highly sensitive and can show areas of potential cancer before the mass has become large enough to be visible mass on a CT scan.  All the research has shown that FEC followed by taxol or taxotere is a very effective regimen.  And the real kicker for us that are ER/PR positive is the hormonal therapies using tamoxifen and/or one of the aromatase inhibitors have significantly cut done the chances of recurrence by as much as 25-30%.

    I know you referenced the ACS website in another post.  If you are looking at their survival stats they show stage IIIc somewhere around a 50% chance of no mets in the first 5 years.  Well the oncs that I have talked to and the more recent studies put our chances of mets around 75% for the first 5 years.  Odds for us have gotten much better!

    Believe in the treatment!  Your wife has a good plan in place.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited September 2011
    many,  you and your wife are in the most anxious part of this journey.  Everything is just coming at you this is all new and there is just so much to take in.  I felt so overwhelmed by all the reasearch I needed to do just to feel I knew what I can expect from everything that is part of being Stage III.  Your anchor is knowledge and you will get it here at bc.org.  All the forums cover every aspect of what is experienced with BC.  There is even a forum for male survivors of breast cancer.  Stick close to the stage III formum here and you can also click on Forum Index for specific Topics that may be of help to you. 
    •   Breastcancer.org Home
    • Symptoms & Diagnosis    Also if you look at the top of this page you will see these sites to click on for more information.  Knowledge of this disease will help you to feel more secure with your treatment plan and your oncologist.  Don't worry it's totally normal for you to feel anxious.  Hang in there, many.

    image

    Barb

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  • mansi231282
    mansi231282 Member Posts: 3
    edited August 2015

    can cancer spread to other organs if the tumour is around 2.5 cm. Stage 2 breast cancer with 2 positive lymph nodes.

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  • Kathleen26
    Kathleen26 Member Posts: 210
    edited August 2015

    Yes, it can, that's why you want to do everything you possibly can to help your chances. I've seen your other posts and I can see that you've had a quite a struggle. I hope your incision is finally starting to heal and you can start thinking about other treatments. I'm on Tamoxifen and it's not too bad at all; some people have side effects but not everyone does, so you shouldn't be afraid to give it a try.

    If you start a new thread instead of adding on to old ones you'll get more people to respond to you.

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  • Saltwithsavor
    Saltwithsavor Member Posts: 5
    edited September 2015

    Hi, I'm fairly new here and learning a lot. I'm stage III b triple neg IDC with micropapalary sub cancer. I had a double mastectomy with auxiliary lymph node and 24 lymph nodes removed 21 were cancerous on my right side. On the left no lymph nodes removed. I'm on cytoxan and doxorubicin every three weeks that series to finish next week then I begin toxan every week for 12 weeks. 30-45 radiation treatments and arimidex for 5 to10 years. I'm 60 years old. Recently I found a lump under my arm on the left side. I mentioned it to the oncologist and that's when he began to step up treatment to every weesk. Nothing more was said about the lump. I don't want to sound paranoid but the lump seem so to be growing. Should I follow up with my GP? I've had kidney cancer before but breast cancer is so different. Just want to make sure I'm watchful. Thank you for your time

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