How are 2nd or 3rd cancers are found?

My first BC was discovered by fluke.  I just happened to be looking in a mirror with my arms raised drying my hair.  No lump, just a dent.  No one ever could feel a lump, but it was BC.

My second BC was discovered by routine mammogram.  Big lump and a "whoa, where did this come from?" feeling.  Must have been rapid growing, I'm sure it hadn't been there long.

What I figure is going to be my third BC was also discovered by mammogram and ultrasound.  No lump - too deep.

Never once did I have a tingle, twinge, pain, twitch, itch, pang, ache or anything else that I know was related to the BC.   I've got plenty of them and some are related to BC treatment, but none to the BC itself.

No I don't insist on certain tests.  I understand your worry, in my mind I've had cancer of the lungs, liver, esophagus, nose, bones, colon, etc.  You name it and in my mind I've had cancer there.  Every twinge says metastases.   The twinge can say it but it doesn't make it true.  No amount of vigilance to my various aches and pains would have altered my BC discover or treatment one bit.

Some people have the two week rule.  If whatever ails you is still there after 2 weeks, see a doctor, other than that ignore it.  Seems a sensible sort of rule to me. 

I found my first cancer in my left breast by touch, it felt like a small cyst. It turned out to be a tubular carcinoma, 5mm. I had a lumpectomy followed by 6 weeks of radiation. My follow up was a mammogram and ultrasound every 6 months. Two years later they found another cancer in my right breast with the ultrasound. It was a totally different cancer than the one in my left breast, invasive lobular carcinoma 6mm. I then decided to cut my odds and had a bilateral mastectomy. The best advice I would give is to keep going for your followup mammograms and any other tests. Early detection is key.

My fear of a 2nd or 3rd cancer, coupled with my very dense breast tissue (even after menopause), are the main reasons why I will be having a mastectomy next week rather than lumpectomy + radiation. I figured there was no hope of my detecting a new mass early enough on the side where the current tumor is located. If I had not found the current tumor and finally insisted on a workup, it would still be undiagnosed.

I am 55 and have been getting mammograms pretty much according to the recommended schedule.  Every single mammogram was followed by a letter saying "no cancer detected" or "no change from last year."  I knew my breast tissue was dense, but my GYN never suggested ultrasound as a way to check out the various lumps I would feel.  He always told me the lumps were part of my "fibrocystic breast condition."

This is important:  2-1/2 weeks ago, I had a digital mammogram at a breast clinic at a major cancer center. I was referred there by my primary care doctor, for mammo and ultrasound of a lump my GYN passed off as fibrocystic breast tissue.  The mammogram showed benign calcifications in both breasts, and dense breast tissue, but no evidence of cancer ("BIRADS 2").  The ultrasound, however, clearly showed the 2 cm lump I had been feeling for about 2 years.  A biopsy revealed that it was IDC.

The moral of the story is that mammography has done me no good whatsoever. It lulled me into complacency.  Even at the cancer center, mammography couldn't detect the 2 cm mass we knew was there.  My onco surgeon and radiation oncologist told me I should probably be screened with ultrasound from now on.

otter 

Thanks, Lily--

No, I've decided not to mess with recon.  I'm pretty small-chested anyway, and can get by with a jersey-type "casual" bra if not bra-less.  From what I've been told on the "prosthesis" threads, I would not have difficulty finding a prosthesis that would fit in my current bras (with a pocket).  I tend to wear casual clothes anyway--loose knit tops, T-shirts underneath cotton shirts, etc.

Comfort is more important to me than appearance, and I wanted to shorten the time it will take me to get back to "the new normal."  I'm retired, and my dh and I have lots of things we want to do.  He's OK with the no-recon decision (especially once he saw drawings of the recon procedures in the plastic surgeon's office!).  He did think I should have lumpectomy/rads rather than mastectomy, but I think he's OK with that now, too.

My decisions are consistent with my lifestyle, but they certainly wouldn't work for other women.  Good luck to you--I know how it feels when you begin to wonder if your docs think you're a hypochondriac!

otter