My mom diagnosed with Stage IV Breast cancer

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MRsImpossible
MRsImpossible Member Posts: 2
edited November 2021 in Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets

On October 13th 2021 my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV Breast cancer. She was first diagnosed with cancer September 2020. She did chemo, she did radiation. She was told her lymph nodes were affected. So fast forward October 13th Metastasis Breast Cancer Awareness Day my mom learned that it had spreaded to her liver. From 2020 to 2021 I have no clue if she was getting scans. Her BC was aggressive. I know she was on pills to keep the cancer from coming back. But I believe it was decided that she no longer needed the pills. It's so much I need to learn.

10 days after my mom learned her BC returned she passed away. The tumor in her liver was the size of a grapefruit. So my question is how does a cancer get the chance to grow that large without raising red flags to her medical team.

That is all I have for now. I just want to know what the process was/is like for women diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer.

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  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited November 2021

    I'm so sorry for your loss.

    I can tell you that according to current guidelines whole body scans post treatment are not recommended in the absence of symptoms. So if she wasn't experiencing discomfort in the liver area then a dr wouldn't order any further testing.

    The liver is also very resilient and it can take a lot of damage before symptoms arise.

    Grade is the measure of aggressiveness of breast cancer and is ranked from 1-3. I have grade 3 which is the most aggressive. I was diagnosed because I had a persistent cough. I had lung mets but also my liver was full of mets and at the time I really didn't have any liver symptoms.

    So I can see how it can happen. Breast cancer is nasty and sometimes moved very quickly.

    Again, sorry for your loss

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  • MRsImpossible
    MRsImpossible Member Posts: 2
    edited November 2021

    Hello

    Thanks for replying. She was getting blood work done. And her levels were elevated. Eventually she went to the hospital in February 2021 because she had excessive thirst, couldn't use the bathroom, and started to have seizures in her hand. She was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis and again I'm not sure a CTscan or PetScan was done at that time to rule out cancer returning.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited November 2021

    Oh, MRsImpossible, we are so incredibly sorry for your loss. We're sending love to you and your family during this difficult time, and this community is here for you.

    The Mods

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  • AP3
    AP3 Member Posts: 24
    edited November 2021

    So sorry for your loss MrsImpossible. Moth is right that scans aren't usually ordered unless there are symptoms.

    In my wife's case she was having her annual checkup (mammo, ultrasound) when they noticed she had a really bad back getting onto the exam table. They ordered an MRI (luckily), and found cancer in her spine. Ironically her mammo and ultrasound were clear. If it wasn't for the pain, and the diligence of the radiographer sending her for a scan, it could have gone undetected for longer.

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