"possible vascular invasion"

Hi again 4kids4dogs,

I haven't seen anyone else's results but in my short time here I've met many wonderful ladies who were diagnosed stage IV and are thriving a DECADE+ later, enjoying their families and living their lives. The longer I know them, I know that 10 years is going to turn into 20 years. Plus, every year, treatments are coming out that get better and better. Everyone's body is different, and we all will do different things to get and stay as healthy as possible. Take heart and stay positive. It's rough in the beginning when you don't have details yet... we've been there, but your doctors will get a plan in place for you.

Love and blessings,

Esther the dog-lover

4 kids4dogs, just because there is vascular invasion it does not mean that it has seeded anywhere else. It increases risk, but does not mean it's already spread. It does usually signal a need for more aggressive treatment options.

Esther, while I admire your optimism, the reality is that the exceptional responders are just that - exceptional. Dead women don't post. Median survival for stage 4 is still 2-3 years. About 20% make it to 5 yrs and that is highly dependent on hormone markers and location of mets. I think it does us no benefit to fall into a rosy unrealistic view of what Stage 4 means for the vast majority of pts diagnosed with metastatic disease.

BUT OP, you don't have a metastatic diagnosis yet. If you haven't had a biopsy or surgery yet, you don't even have a diagnosis at all so don't get too carried away with worst case scenarios. Wait, find out what is happening, then make the best treatment plans you can.

best wishes

Possible vascular invasion does not mean you have metastatic disease. I would definitely not get stressed or worried over this.

I am sorry to hijack this thread but I want to echo moth’s statement:

“Esther, while I admire your optimism, the reality is that the exceptional responders are just that - exceptional. Dead women don't post. Median survival for stage 4 is still 2-3 years. About 20% make it to 5 yrs and that is highly dependent on hormone markers and location of mets. I think it does us no benefit to fall into a rosy unrealistic view of what Stage 4 means for the vast majority of pts diagnosed with metastatic disease.”

Stage IV patients do not routinely live for a decade or more. They are relatively rare exceptions, outliers, etc. I am one of those exceptional responders, but most are not. There is always hope but I agree that painting a rosy picture of stage IV benefits no one. 10 years turns into 20 years? Not unless there is some great breakthrough. I wish it were true but magical thinking doesn’t make it so.

4kids4dogs, yes, I was stage IA in Dec 2017, did my surgery, chemo & radiation.

In Feb 2020 it came back as metastatic.

I'm still on my first line of systemic treatment which for triple negative is pretty amazing. I actually feel really good right now. Chemo every 3 weeks, immunotherapy every 2 weeks, scans every 8-12 weeks. In between I'm living life - slower and needing more rest than before, chemo knocks me down a lot, but doing stuff. Check out my blog (in the sigline) and the instagram @itisjustastage for glimpse of what it's like to live with MBC with very aggressive treatment. I have pain & fatigue but it's all manageable.

Triple negs tend to have very poor OS (overall survival) times, but right now we seem to have pumped the breaks on it.

4kids4dogs — i was diagnosed a year ago and had vascular invasion in my original ultrasound/mammogram. I was HER2 positive and stage 2A so they hit it hard with chemo, then surgery, and full breast radiation. I had a PCR with chemo and as far as we can tell the cancer is gone. As far as I understand everything, I have a 95% chance that this cancer is gone. I absolutely hate talking in absolutes though, and even just typing this I want to find some wood to knock on.

Not sure of I read your report wrongly, but is does not actually mention vascular invasion. What it does say is possible vascularity which means an area which is supplied by blood vessels. Your report looks like it is suggesting that the area has a supply of blood vessels. Vascular invasion indicates the presence of tumour cells in the lumen of a blood vessel or a lymph vessel. There is a very big difference. Even if this does turn out to be a cancer ( and I really hope it does not), it does not mean that you have vascular invasion

Good luck with your biopsy.🙂

I am pretty sure that is a normal response for most people. It seems to be the only thing we can do that helps us feel slightly in control. And some knowledge can be useful in preparing. I like to know everything.

I used to be a radiology nurse for 10 years

Good luck, hope it turns out to be nothing to worry about

Hi 4kids4dogs. Just came here to say good luck and keep us posted! I hope all goes well.