New LCIS member with question about excision surgery

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nunu2020
nunu2020 Member Posts: 3
edited July 2020 in LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)

Hi everyone,

I'm 47 and did my first ever mammogram about 2 weeks ago(had been living overseas since 39 and returned just last year, wasn't aware of the early screening process) when the radiologist found calcification on my breast, the following biopsy discovered LCIS and I just saw the breast surgeon who will perform the surgery(lumpectomy?) to remove about a plum size of my breast tissue so that they can exam it and make sure there is nothing other than LCIS we need to worry about, like, the real cancers. But she confirmed that the surgery is solely for examination purpose and will NOT lower my risk of getting breast cancer in the future, so my question is : is it the only way to find out exactly what's going on in that area? I'll have a MRI before surgery so that the doctors can see the area better.

I have very dense breasts and although a plum size is not too big, I'm not sure losing that much tissue is completely harmless to my health. Has anyone heard of other alternatives to the surgery? I'm so stress out because of this new discovery, any advice/suggestions/previous experiences is greatly appreciated, thanks all~~~

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited June 2020

    Hi nunu2020,

    Unfortunately their is not any imaging that can confirm whether or not you have any DCIS or invasive cancer in the vicinity of the LCIS - that can ily be determined at a cellular level. Excisional biopsy is pretty much it. I will tell you that the area where mine was done is not obvious. If I press I can feel a small “void” where the tissue was removed. You can’t see it and I do not have big breasts. How would having a small piece of tissue removed be harmful to your health?

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  • Lea7777
    Lea7777 Member Posts: 274
    edited June 2020

    Sorry you are in this situation nunu2020. The excisional surgery is generally not painful. My two have not been. I also do not have large breasts and the amount taken out of each is not noticeable. There is not an alternative to the excisional biopsy.

    The odds are on your side that nothing more will be found--80% to 85%.

    What your surgeon is telling you seems right to me.

    Best wishes as you proceed and learn more.

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  • nunu2020
    nunu2020 Member Posts: 3
    edited June 2020

    Thank you very much for your reply Melissa, it's great if it doesn't have any harmful effects, I'm just nervous about it and also heard of a theory about cases that certain procedure will "activate" the "sleeping" cancer cells, but it's an unconfirmed theory I know. I have AA cup size so I kinda expect losing a plum size of flesh will actually be noticeable but if that's what I have to do I guess I have no choice......

    Your surgery was performed while you're in general anesthesia right?

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  • nunu2020
    nunu2020 Member Posts: 3
    edited June 2020

    Thank you very much Lea, it's a relieve to know the surgery is not painful. The doctor told me I'll be in general anesthesia and will probably need to take pain killer after, were you in full anesthesia too?

    I also wonder since we'll do a MRI before the surgery, what if we see more suspicious area on MRI? I learnt though online research that LCIS often grows in more than on lobular, but we can't just remove all suspicious tissues and exam them all.......what if the tissues we removed turns out to be LCIS only but there are real cancer in other area? Oh well, I'm getting way ahead of myself and stressing myself even further with all these thoughts.......

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited June 2020

    Yes, general (but very quick) anesthesia -I had mine at an outpatient surgery center and from the time they took me back until I went home was only a couple of hours. It is not particularly painful. I took one pain pill then just some Aleve for a day or two. You will have lifting restrictions until your follow up appointment. You will also probably have some really impressive bruising.

    Your MRI should show if you have anything else going on, and they have a less than 5% false negative rate. MRIs are also not very specific, so they do tend to lead to more biopsies. You will also be followed more closely from now on.

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  • newbie2020
    newbie2020 Member Posts: 10
    edited June 2020

    About a month ago I had this surgery for what they thought from my core needle biopsy was a papilloma. Turned out after excision to also be LCIS with radial scar. The surgery itself was fine. Very little pain afterwords for me. Small areas of bruising. And I felt twinges of pain in my breast for a few weeks while healing. Best of luck nunu2020, the surgery is not that bad in my opinion. Now, I am currently in the process of trying to decide what to do from here. There is so much conflicting information out there that I have found. So far two docs, with total opposite opinions! Go to see the third in a few weeks.

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  • Lea7777
    Lea7777 Member Posts: 274
    edited July 2020

    "were you in full anesthesia too?"

    Yes. And I took maybe one pain pill after the procedure, just in case. The discomfort for me was very minimal both times. The excision was no big deal, surgically. You may have some wires inserted into your breast to help locate the area to excise. That was a bit disconcerting to me, so I just did not look at it. But you'll be numbed for the wires, so zero pain. I'm sure you'll get an explanation about the wires if they are used.

    I also wonder since we'll do a MRI before the surgery, what if we see more suspicious area on MRI?

    Do check with your doctor about this, but I have been told that MRIs do not usually reveal atypia (like LCIS). So if the MRI shows something, it probably is not LCIS or atypical lobular hyperplasia or atypical ductal hyperplasia that needs more investigating. But it's good you are getting the MRI.

    what if the tissues we removed turns out to be LCIS only but there are real cancer in other area?

    The MRI is very good at detecting real cancer. And detecting it very early. An NP at a high risk clinic had little wooden beads that represented what cancerous breast lumps feel like. The bead that showed what an MRI detects was a tiny little pin-head-like BB. The bead for what we detect when we do breast exams was like a marble. If the MRI shows something, it will most likely be removed and biopsied.

    Newbie2020, you are wise to get a 3rd opinion.

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