Cancer in both breasts at the same time?

Count me in too.  I had 6 tumors-IDC-in my left breast and it was triple positve.  One 2 cm tumor in my right breast that is er and pr positive but her2 negative.  Wondering how the heck you get 7 tumors when you go for a mammo every year...but glad I got them all early at stage 2.  I opted for a uni-took my left breast off and just had my exchange surgery dec 29 with lat flap, and lifted my right one and put in a small implant so we can get symmetry.

Congrats JAYSFAN65...great news!

Jaysfan65, FANTASTIC NEWS! No worries for now. I hope it stays that way.

Well, it looks like we all found each other.  Had microcalcifications in left that they wanted to biopsly.  Had 3 steroetactic biopsies of left and one of right.  Acupath lab ruled them all as atypical hyperplasia (precancerous cells).  My BS got the slide and sent them to hospital lab to recheck.  Came back that one of the biopsiies had DCIS in left.  Sent me for MRI which showed nothing.  Had a BMX because my gut told me something is not right and it's a good thing I did becaue final path came back as DCIS and LCIS in both breasts, medium grade, ER+ and PR+.  So reading all your posts, I don't think it's as rare as they make it seem.

Hello all,

I had tumor in left breast and undetermined "stuff" in my right breast at pre-op breast MRI.  Decided on bilateral mastectomy - post op pathology report showed cancer in right breast as well.  I wonder if it is really as rare as they think it is.

I was just diagnosed with ILC in both breast. Having BMX with DIEP on April 16th. Can't wait to get it out!!!

Hi ladies,

Well, this thread is VERY interesting....it seems that I'm not alone after all!

My partner found a lump in my left breast last October. My GP found lumps in both breasts at exam.

4th November 2014 - Mammograms all clear but my ultrasound showed a suspicious lesion on my L breast. A guided FNA biopsy diagnosed a 2.5cm IDC in that breast. Lumps elswhere given the all clear visually with US.

I asked BS and Oncologist about BMx but was told no, and that it was "overkill".

I asked about MRIs and was told that they were not necessary as the lesion had been diagnosed and the R breast was fine.

December 2014 to May 2015 I had a lumpectomy L breast and L axillary node clearance plus chemo.

My BS scheduled a consult with the radiation oncologist for whole breast radiotherapy to my L breast.

I decided not to have rads and asked to have a BMx instead. BS not happy.

I changed my BS at this point. I went with my intuition and found another.

July 2015 - New mammo plus US ordered by my current BS all clear. I had my BMx one week later...

Big news...SURPRISE!

Pathology revealed a 5.5cm x 3.5cm high grade DCIS in the tissue from my Right breast!

I was told afterwards by my Oncologist that "mammograms and US don't necessarily pick up DCIS".

WTH!!!!

So, if I had not gone with my gut feelings and defied my first BS and Oncologist's recommendations and had tx to only my L breast, I would've been sent home with a ticking time bomb in my R breast and unnecessary radiation to my L breast.

I wonder whether a MRI would've picked up my hen's egg sized high grade DCIS and whether it had been there all the time?

I can't understand why the docs don't use every diagnostic weapon in their arsenal before recommending conservative treatment?

It just doesn't make sense to me, especially after reading your posts where I see that this is not so rare an occurrence after all :-(

Thankyou ladies for sharing your stories.

Best wishes,

Suzette xo

count me in too. Lucky for me the radiologist was very experienced and found small ILC on left side very close to chest wall. Also I couldn't believe GP couldn't feel the large IDC tumor on my right side but she did the right thing and ordered bilateral mammogram and US. Scary huh

Funny, Kathy, that's the term my BS used as well. I really hate it, though, not sure why!

The first thing I had done was a bilateral diagnostic mammogram, and NO ONE saw the 1.1cm IDC on the right, nor could anyone feel it. It was surrounded by very dense breast tissue. When the radiologist did the biopsy he kept apologizing to me because he had to lean his body into me to get enough force to get to the actual lump. It was odd.

Thank you for posting this thread. I have spent the last five weeks navigating diagnosis, doctors, surgery and now recovery and treatment for multifocal, bilateral breast cancer. 4 tumors in total, all IDC, two on each side, largest one 1.8 cm. All well differentiated. I went with lumpectomies on both sides. I was told by 3 separate doctors that the prognosis is very good, they got it early etc. In the midst of all this my husband and I are moving overseas (we were supposed to leave 4 weeks ago, and he delayed until the pathology came in- leaving yesterday). NODES clean. Low onco score. Clear margins except for one up against skin tissue which RADS will treat.

While drinking from the fire-hose of information, especially those first 2 weeks, this forum was SO helpful. I was told it was rare, highly unusual etc, to have BC in both breasts. I have wavered between relieved that they got it early, and concerned that there was such a presence. However, I had not had a mammogram in a few years. Each doctor, including the radiologist (who insisted I not put off the biopsy/MRI for a month while I moved), really has led me to believe that I am the beneficiary for early detection, advanced medicine and that this is all very manageable. My husband and I agree that with the slightest recurrence we will do the BMX.

On to RADS for 4 weeks once I heal, and 5 years of Tamoxifen.

One thing I did not read in advance. Stick shift cars are the worst! But if that's my biggest complaint after all this drama, I am really ready to put this in the rear view mirror.

Best to you all--and if anyone is just going through the diagnosis process -- and I can offer any support or advice -- please write. Lots of wonderful people on this website. Let people help lighten your burden!

I had my routine mammogram in Dec., 2013, which indicated a problem on the left side. Needle biopsy in Jan. of 2014 showed IDC on the left. Two weeks later I had a pre-lumpectomy MRI which showed something suspicious on the right side which had not been caught by mammogram or ultrasound.

In early March of 2014 I had LX on the left and wire guided biopsy on the right at the same surgery. Results from that surgery: positive margins on the left, IDC on the right. BS then recommended BMX.

Having the MRI was definitely the reason my cancer on the "other" side was caught.

Hi Cubbie, and welcome to Breastcancer.org,

Unfortunately this thread has been quiet for quite a while, so it's unlikely you'll get a response here. We'd suggest you sent the member you'd like to hear from a Private Message, so they can directly answer you. Or, we'd suggest starting your own thread in the Surgery forum so that you get support from others about your situation. It's easy to do: just click the link to the forum, select Start a New Topic, fill out the Subject and Body of the post, and click Submit. Don't forget to select the thread as a Favorite, so you can get notifications when someone responds to your post!

We hope this helps and we look forward to hearing more from you soon!

--The Mods

I was diagnosed with bilateral IDC of 2 different types. But diagnoses and biopsies done at the same time. My original mammogram only found the tumour in my right breast, but I insisted on a radiological consult and the tumour was also visible on the left breast, but missed by the first radiologist. They did further Ultrasounds and biosied both, both were IDC however only 1 was Her2+ and only 1 was progesterone +
so right breast was ER+PR-Her2+ and left breast was ER+PR+ and Her2-.