Reoccurrence

I can't even imagine how upset and angry I would be in your situation. I'm so sorry you're going through this again.

Hopefully since the spots are really small, surgery will take care of it and you won't need chemo again.

Do keep us posted. Sending good vibes.

Did you have all your lymph nodes removed? I guess if there is a bright side, it was caught early. Hugs, hoping all goes well!

GreenEyes, if Icandoallthings is having a mastectomy on the cancer side on Friday, with a precautionary MRI planned on the other side soon, why would she want to delay the mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy?

Postponing definitive treatment of the side with confirmed cancer, to image the side where no malignancy is suspected, might not be a good idea.

GOOD LUCK in surgery! You'll do great. I had a right mastectomy one week ago today with a tissue expander and am very pleased with the results and CLEAN MARGINS! I was diagnosed with IDC, and pathology reported 8mm IDC and 6.3cm DCIS. I was then concerned for my for my left breast having cancer with such a large tumor found on the right side, but was reassured that bilateral cancers are rare and they will be monitoring closely. That's being said, my mammogram was clear the first time (I can't believe these are the standard screening tool with so many cancers missed!). However if you are getting a tissue expander, know that you cannot get an MRI until that is out-- it has a magnet in it. Mine was found via ultrasound, or perhaps the 3D mammo for you until you can get an MRI :

Sorry, misposted, don't know what I was thinking

Icandoallthings, I am very sorry to hear this. Is there anything we can do to help? On the slight chance, I am in Montana and traveling to Idaho next week. Not sure if you are near me at all, but if so please let me know. PM me right away. As you are healing would love to bring you and your family dinner. Had a couple ladies come and it was so nice as I was healing from surgery.

I'm sorry we were not closer! Sending cookies virtually!

Ya, the statitistics are not the same when looking at the younger group. The 1 in 8 goes out the window. My MO was so happy to tell me my stat for reoccurrence a few weeks ago since it was so low, I looked at him and said, "So I am 3x more likely to have a reocurrance than I was to have breast cancer in the first place?" It made him stop and think....and then slowly shake his head yes. I don't think he had ever thought about it like that.

One day at a time, keep asking questions. For me, what ever I decide to do long term has to come from knowledge. Knowing will give me the best change to at some point find peace and not look back when an occurance might happen. It's ok to be frustrated, it's ok to cry, it's ok to not have good days and it's ok to need help! Praying you have great support around you!

Hello lovely ladies -- so glad to find you. We are all going through similar health challenges and trying to calculate our changes of re-occurrence in our heads.. The terror of the randomness of cancer, and of going through it all over again -- and perhaps in a worse version than before, can be hard to manage. I have not been able to put the stress aside.

I am new to this. I was diagnosed in May 2017-- by accident, and no family history -- went in for a regular scan -- came out with extensive DCIS on the right breast. Could not avoid mastectomy because it was a 8cm*4cm area (almost the whole lower part of the right breast). Biopsies from mastectomy showed more DCIS on upper right side, behind the nipple too, and a small Invasive Ductal Carcinoma HER2+, fast growing but too small to require chemo. None of the new cancers were identified with the MRIs, mammogram or ultrasound i had prior to the mastectomy. They removed it all they say, and also removed 4 lymph-nodes which were reactive but clear in the end. Last week I had my 3-month MRI scanning also the left side. Naturally I am worried. I have to wait for results next week and a meeting with the doctor on the 18th.

I am trying to decide --- preventive mastectomy on the left, so I can live in peace? I have two little ones, a 6.5 year old and a 3.5 year old and I do not want to risk any re-occurrence if I can help it.

The alternative is frequent bilateral MRI scans instead. The NHS (I live in the UK currently) only allows annual MRIs but I would go privately every 3 or 6 months.

I do not have full faith in the scans as in my case it was the post-mastectomy biopsy that picked up the invasive aggressive cancer. DCIS won't kill you but the invasive HER2 positive, estrogen negative little cancer I had would have needed chemo if it was found a few weeks later than it was found.

Two questions for you in case you have more knowledge on this:

- Is it possible for cancer to return to the breast that had the mastectomy (I have implant now)? My doctor says no -- having no breast means cancer does not come back on that side. I know the implant is not the risk, but I am wondering about skin tissue or anything else around it.

- Is it likely to have no re-occurrence (or independently identified) cancer growing on the other side? DCIS does not travel -- Invasive does, through the blood, through the lymphnodes.. I think the odds are stacked against me getting cancer on the other side. How independent are they?

Big hugs to all -- we will get through this -- i wish we all had more certainty, on the science, the scans, the rates of progression.. What frustrates me the most is having to deal with probabilities rather than certainties..

Many thanks -- Tereza

This is very helpful -- thank you -- and it is comforting to know we all go through very similar thoughts -- our lives don't seem as unique once you account for how we all deal with loss, illness, love.. why would cancer be different -- our human condition unites us all

I am a bit of an oddity with the stats. No family history of breast cancer, i am 43, i swim and I am a diver, never smoked, no exposure to drugs, chemicals, tanning, etc, I have always been eating healthy, slim, breastfed two kids 9 months each... You think you do everything right and you will never have to worry about this crap, right? So many of us are in the same boat -- I keep thinking if the right breast had cancer, and of two kinds (DCIS and IDC), and spread out in at least 4 different locations, why would the left not have it, at some point sooner or later? Same body, same use, same diet, same genes. The randomness of cell changes is always unpredictable but the more i think about it, like you, i think preventative surgery is the way to go. Or MRIs every 3 to 6 months -- but they don't identify all the cancer -- in my case, they missed the IDC and a few locations of 3-stage DCIS... There are no perfect solutions yet.

My doctor was emphatic about there being no need anymore to scan the right side that had the mastectomy and implant. She said, there is nothing there to scan, period. I will take her up on your point -- how much tissue is left behind and what amount of risk that carries.

In my case they suggested no chemo because DCIS does not need it and the IDC was small. 20% chance of metastasis via the blood stream.. And not much benefit of taking tamoxifen because my IDC was Estrogen negative.. (but my DCIS was estrogen positive). Another confusing diagnosis. One day at a time -- that't right! xxx Thank you!

I just saw this it's. I am sorry you are facing this recurrence so soon. I had a similar situation. I did TC and then did AC -T the second time when I recurredbin 2 places, 14 months after finishing chemo. So far, so good since then. PM me anytime. Thinking of you. I hope you tolerate the AC ok. I did

Tereza - I might just add though we are not a 100% on the mastectomy side, I will not be getting any mammograms ect. There is nothing there. lol My surgen said that if anything starts growing you will be able to feel it with your hand. I wouldn't worry about imaging....just stay villigent and self exams.