Multicentric anyone? How bad is that?

Ashweb901 · August 2018

Got my pathology from surgery today. Allegedly incredibly good report - no cancer in sentinel node. 7 tumors, all right breast...ER/PR+, HER2-, OncoDx based on biopsied tiny tumor prior to BMx= 6. No gene mutations.

I had three sets of twins: two 5mm, two 7mm, two 17mm, and one 9mm. No rads, no chemo. Stage 1 grade 1. Lobular "features" but no special type (ductal), not otherwise specified.

But obviously multifocal (at least not multi-centric). So isn't SEVEN tumors, however small, added togetherkind of bad? Or maybe a lot bad? They are 11:30/12, 2:30, 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, 5:00, 5:30.

Tamoxifen is what I'm hearing I'll have to take. I had a BMx with TEs 10 days ago.

Ashley

Vera66 · September 2018

I was also multifocal (2 tumors) From what I have read, multifocal is not predictive of anything in and of itself. It is associated with things that are have more negative outcomes (lymph node involvement, higher grade), but that does not apply in your case. Hope that helps.

Meow13 · September 2018

I had 2 tumors but oncologist not concernec either, really no different if I had 1.

wallan · September 2018

I had multicentric BC. 2 tumors first time, and then BC again in second breast 13 years later with 5 tumors.

I was told it means I should have mastectomies, but does not affect my prognosis.

So I have had two mastectomies now.

Wallan

Meow13 · September 2018

Me too, mastectomy but good I didn't require radiation.

KushtiBok · September 2018

I was diagnosed July 26th. I have 5 or more small masses. Mine are a mixture of DCIS and IDC with lobular feature's. I am also ER/PR+ and HER -. Genetic testing came back normal. Sound's like ours is a lot alike. I am waiting to see a PS on the 10th and hopefully schedule a BMX soon after. Tired of the waiting game. Sounds like your surgery turned out well. Have you started the Tamoxifen yet?

Ashweb901 · September 2018

thank you to everyone who answered! I do think we are a smaller bunch than women with just one tumor (the majority have just one, somethingike 80% but don't quote me on that...).

And I'm really wondering if my doctor is wrong in saying mine is not multicentric. The only definition I can find of multicentric is tumors in more than one quadrant. Most of mine are in 3-6, but one is at 2:30 and another at 11:30-12. That's three out of the four quadrants and seems “excessive" to me, LOL! I do not want to be an over-achiever in this way!

I did read that multifocal increased the chance of a contralateral recurrence in the other breast, so i was glad that i had chosen double mastectomy from the very start even before I read that. There were two tumors initially found (one by me), and i felt like i didn't even want BCT. I felt my family risk was high and that I needed to remove the real estate ....and then my OncoDx said very low risk — but intuitively, I'm like, “seven? Seven isn't the same as two." It seems even more to me than “several."

So I'll keep searching for informationand keep living my best life and taking the best care of me that I can. Shout out if any of you learn things!

KushtiBok - I have not started tamo yet. My onco appointment is Oct. 3. Is it usual to have a gap of 6 weeks between BMx and tamo?

Ashley

Meow13 · September 2018

I might be wrong about multifocal but I thought itwas a tumor that has satellite tumors connected or cancer between the tumors as well. It could be it means multiple tumors even when they are distinctly separate. Multicentric I believe means tumors found in different quadrants.

Meow13 · September 2018

ok, according to this I am multicentric. I was classified multifocal before mx pathology confirmed the 2 tumors were totally separate.

https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/diagnosis/in...

Ashweb901 · September 2018

and KushtiBok - I’m 49 to your 46 so we are roughly the same age. My surgery did go very well except for a mixup wherein i was given a Percocet and told it was “oxycodone” despite my red bracelet saying I was allergic to tylenol....and found out I still am (throat swells).

The other problem was that dilaudid is the narcotic that doesn’t give me a crashing headache or itching and because it was “PRN” my Nurse strictly followed the policy which is the patient has to ask first. Well, by the time I ask, I need it in 15-20 minutes to stay on top of the pain. Staffing of nurses is such that’s it averages 45 minutes to an hour. They could even be “on another floor” because they’re the “only ones who know how to handle picc lines.” I also think she was in a bit of a power struggle with me bc she was against giving me the meds that work for me - we only had IV dilaudid because my PS’ Nurse wrote for norco tabs and I didn’t not realize that has Tylenol until too late to get a different script and my PS forgot day of surgery.

All that is to say: the practice of PRN pain meds in hospital only works if adequate staff OR patient has own stash

Ashweb901 · September 2018

oops - Meow13, i was saying it wrong. My doctor says I did have multifocal but not multi **centric** - (that’s the whole quadrant thing). His explanation was that since mine are made of the same stuff (and the three sets of twins may have even started at the same time each) that it’s not multicentric. He said it would need to be a different TYPE or just unrelated for it to be mukticentric but I thought it was strictly quadrants. According to your Mc pathology i guess he might be right

Ashweb901 · September 2018

thank you for the link - it appears he is right - there is an element of “originates from a separate/unrelated tumor” in order to be multicentric. But the quadrant definition appears without that little extra tidbit in many sources! Thank you!!

Multicentric anyone? How bad is that?

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