Mom Recently Diagnosed...again 10 years later

pecola · November 2006

I'm sad...I guess that is the only way to put it. My Mom was diagnosed at the age of 49 with IDC, Stage I (triple negative) in 1996 and had a mastectomy and chemo. She was cancer-free for 10 years, but diagnosed with a second primary breast cancer - IDC, Stage I ER+/PR- and still HER2 inconclusive (sent off for a FISH test). She has a second mastectomy on 10/30 and will be seeing her oncologist on 11-13-2006.

I'm just so upset for her...she had just celebrated her 10 year anniversary and then went for her routine mammogram where they found her 2 CM tumor. She is grateful for her 10 years of survivorship and the negative node involvement, but feels a bit as if she has been kicked in the stomach, as she had just started to feel safe and like the cancer was behind her.

She will probably start chemo again this month, and I think it is harder for her this time (ignorance really is bliss sometimes). Please let us know of anything that can help her in her treatment decisions this time around. I'm sure a lot has changed in the last 10 years. Since the tumor receptors are different this time, we are unsure of how to proceed. Most of what we have read recently state that ER+/PR- tumors are very aggressive and resistant to Tamoxifen and other Hormonal therapies. Her tumors nuclear grade both times around was a 3, but categorized overall as moderately differentiated (mitosis (?) score of 2, architecture of 2, and nuclear of 3).

Thanks for any help or info you all can offer.

Praying for Us All,

~Gina

LittleG · November 2006

Gina,

I don't have any advise on this as I was just dx a little over a year ago. I just wanted to offer you some support. I'm sure things have changed alot over the last 10 years, for the better. Stay positive! I'm sure some ladies that have been thru this will chime in. This is a great site for support. My prayers are with you and your mom.

g

fancy2 · November 2006

BTDT--I, too had a second primary (ILC this time, IDC last time) and it does feel like I was kicked in the guts. Hard! By, say, Hulk Hogan. Tell your mom to hitch up her boots and GET MAD! Fight!

I don't know where you heard the er+pr- tumors don't respond to hormone therapy, but I don't believe that is actually true. However, it IS true that HER2+ tumors do not respond well to hormone therapy. She will probably need to wait to map out treatment until her FSH test is back.

This board is a good place to start your research, although the information presented here is not in very much depth. Since this is a second primary, she can basically be treated as a new cancer survivor, i.e. this is NOT mets. Spend some time on the net. There is a wealth of information out there for you.

wallan · November 2006

I am so sorry about this... breast cancer sucks!!!

WEndy A

pecola · November 2006

Thanks so much for the replies. My Mom loved the Hulk Hogan analogy, Fancy2!

Mom's first Oncology appointment is tomorrow morning, so if anyone has any other information to add, we would deeply appreciate all of it. She had a horrible reaction to the Adriamyacin (spelling ??) last time (changed after 1 infusion), so I'm not sure what the options are for her this time. Since it is a second primary, I don't know what the protocol for that is. She was/is hoping for Tamoxifen only before we received her 2nd pathology report. Is that an option? She is 60.

SandyAust · November 2006

Hi Pecola,

I am sorry to hear about your mum. It seems so unfair after 10 years.

On the subject of the hormone status, I got this information direct from another part of breastcancer.org

ER+PR- is one of the less common forms of breast cancer (I have it too). With ER+PR+ tumours you have about a 70% chance of responding to hormone treatment. With ER+PR- there is about a 30% chance of responding. So even though the chance of getting a benefit from hormonal treatments is lower there is still a significant chance of getting a benefit so hormone treatment is still used. I am currently being treated with Tamoxifen. It also helps to remember that there are other non-hormonal treatments such as chemo that can also be used.

Best wishes to you and your Mum.

Take care,

Sandy

mkl48 · November 2006

Hello,

There is definitely research that would move to hormonal only. You need to ask what the absolute value of chemo is in her case-absolute reduction of recurrance. I do not know if they use only hormonal and herceptin if her+. Why tamox if age 60. AIs now usually the choice when post men.Beth

Anonymous · November 2006

I would ask the doctor to do an oncotype blood test. It will tell you if your cancer will respond to chemo or not.

Most of the studies regarding herceptin say, for it to work best, it should be given in combination with chemo in the beginning.

Sorry about your mom and good luck

Nicki

ferq · November 2006

Hi.
I also was dx with bc again after 16 years of my first one..This is a new dx for me too..I was dx as stage 1. I had the oncotype test done & it came back at a score of 30 so I did 4 rounds of TC. I understand all too well how you & your mom are feeling..This time has been harder for me to deal with also because I know more about it than I did 16 years ago but they do say knowledge is power..My thoughts & prayers are with you & your mom.. (((hugs)))

73gr · November 2006

Dear Gina,
this must be a strong shock for your Mom and you! My mom was diagnosed with mets 14 years after her initial diagnosis! Well, the good news are that today there are more options for treatment than just 10 years ago and i'm sure your mom will kill the beast again and this time for ever! A biopsy will show if she is Her2 positive or negative and her hormon receptor status and so you can plan what is the best treatment for her!
Take care

blulrich · December 2006

My mom knows exactly how your mom feels. She was diagnosed with her first cancer over 33 years ago, although it was not BC. She has had several kinds (ovarian, thyroid, uterine, melanoma to name a few) over the years, but has been cancer free from several years. Then, last September, she was diagnosed with BC. She told me that she was not scared, but mad. She thought that part of her life was behind her . . . that she might have beaten whatever it was that was making the cancers . . . but she got it again. She was stage 3 with lymph involvement when she was diagnosed. She had 3 surgeries, chemo and rads this go around. But she's still fighting . . . still not giving up . . . still planning on winning the war.

Tell your mom to hang in there and take care of herself!

jdash · December 2006

i also understand all to well i got redagnosed 10 yrs later was really feeling comfortable and not worrying and bam ! that kick in the stomach was a shock! i was diagnosed first time at 39 stage 1 - 10 yrs later it was stage 3 that is what shocked me more! wish i had caought it earlier went thru chemo this time not last time and did it before my dbl mast
i am now according to doc NED but i am still feeling like why did this happen to me again NOT FAIR ! but it did and i guess i just have to go on again from here not at all fair some of us have so much to deal with
HUGS to your mom from me
julia

sjoc · December 2006

Hi I am also ER+/PR- and HER2-. I had chemo (taxotere/cytoxen) and presently on tamoxafen. My onc says that tamoxafen is effective becaquse of the ER+ status. He would have preferred me to be ER+/PR+, but still thinks hormonal tmt will be effective even though he says my cells are extremely aggressive. I'm willing to do anything that might be effective. AS for chemo, I'm sure the side effects were worse 10 years ago. There are many scripts that help with the side effects.
Good luck to you and your mom.

hersupport · December 2006

I am starting to understand how you are feeling... my mother-in-law was just diagnosed again with BC in the same breast that she had a total mast. about 11 years ago. It is my understanding that it is in the axillary tissue. she is very confused as to how this could happen, and if it has ever happend to anyone else. We are still in the very early stage this time around and that's about all we know at this point. she is trying to get in to the Onco this comming week.

Mom Recently Diagnosed...again 10 years later

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