cancer in both breasts

Hi Jen -

Bi-lat bc is not unusual among those who are BRCA positive.  Another indicator is a family history of pre-menopausal bc.

My mother had bi-lateral bc, two different primaries - invasive and lobular, that were 5 years apart.   When I was dx'd, I had invasive bc in the left breast and DCIS in the right.

You may want to consider speaking with a genetic counselor regarding the BRCA risk and implications.

Congrat's on having clear scans!

Best to you,

Calal 

Several months ago, I think there was a husband who posted who said his wife had between 3 and 5 different breast cancers (I can't remember the number) all diagnosed at the same time between both breasts.

I've read its not unusual for ILC to be 'mirrored' in the other breast.

Jen,

Have you seen the forum for those who have a Second or Third Breast Cancer?  It's way down the list of forums in the "Connecting with others who have a similar diagnosis" section of this board.

Your situation - having BC in both breasts at the same time - is not overly common but it's not that unusual either.  I've seen a number of posts from women who were diagnosed with BC in one breast only, but upon having a bilateral mastectomy, were found to have BC in their other breast as well.  And sometimes it is known right from the start that there is BC in both breasts.  What's much more common is having a 2nd - or even 3rd - diagnosis of BC at a later date.  Once any of us have been diagnosed the first time, our risk to get BC again goes up to about double that of the average woman our age.  So unfortunately there are a lot of women who are making their 2nd visits to this board.  I suppose your case is not that different except that both your occurrences of BC happen to occur at the same time.  Hopefully that's it for you then and you remain clear of cancer from now on!

Hi Jen

I feel a bit like an odd duck, too! Bilateral + simultaneous is unusual. With all due respect to Beesie, it's NOT the same as a recurrence later, regardless of which breast is affected.I was treated for DCIS in my right breast, which led to more thorough screening, which found IDC in my left breast three years later. Very small tumors, early stage. I'm comfortable with my risk profile. DCIS could be considered a wild card, after all.

Glad your scans are clear and you're free of the known mutations! But our risk profile -- certainly yours, maybe mine -- is almost certainly higher than unilateral gals. There was some research presented in 2006 at the San Antonio Conference by Dr Hartman from the famous Karolinska Institute that was...not so hopeful. On the other hand, Dr Mansell, from the UK, said he found no "survival disadvantage" from contralateral disease. E.g., you'll live as long as the onesies.

 I think we should keep our eye on the research. As more women live through their first and second diagnoses, whether simultaneous, bilatereal or whatever,researchers will have a bigger population to study.

I had dcis in one breast and idc at the same time also. I was post menopausal, and the only one in the family that had had breast cancer was my mother who got it in her 80s. My qustion is we had ancestors and don't know what some of them died from. Are they also a part of this brac. For instance, my mother was adopted out, but she knew her mother, and she died from some form of cancer. No one will tell me what kind, but it could very well have been breast cancer. Would we go back that far. I just lost my Mom Feb. 15, 2008, and I am the only one of her 8 girls to get it. Thanks