Sister with Breast cancer

[knitwitty]

Hi there my sister has just found out that she has a recurrence of breast cancer and I want to support her as best I can.

She was first diagnosed about 15 1/2 years ago and had a lumpectomy and radiotherapy, there was no spread to any lymph nodes at the time.

The recurrence is in the same breast but was picked up as micro calcifications on a routine mammogram. She has had a biopsy which confirms cancer.

I have a couple of questions:

Is this likely to be a completely new cancer unrelated to the earlier one?

The consultant has said it is stage 2 does that relate to the fact that she has had a recurrence ? or is it something to do with the size, because she doesn't have a lump of any kind ?

She is going for a CT scan at the weekend and the hospital will decide what to do next following the results of the scan. It has already been decided she will have to have a mastectomy because she has had radiotherapy once on that breast already.

Any reassurance or help would be most appreciated as we all thought she had beaten the cancer the first time around.

[Bagrat]

I'm so sorry your sister has breast cancer again. I had another breast cancer in same breast with a two year gap and asked was it was recurrence. The answer was they didn't know. The first was not invasive the second was but oncologist couldn't say if the 2 were connected.

Calling it stage 2 may be because of size or sometimes lymph glands are affected but it has not spread outside the breast.

The link below helps

breastcancernow.org/informa...

[knitwitty in reply to Bagrat]

Thank you Bagrat, I hope you are feeling better now and thank you for the link.

[Happyrosie]

I’m so sorry this has recurred. You need to grit your teeth for a moment and remember that just because cancer has gone away it doesn’t mean it cannot come back. Just as, your next door neighbour could get cancer, too. Does it really matter whether it’s a new one or a recurrence?

I’m glad you are supporting her, she needs as much support as she can get, and from what you say she will get the best possible treatment. Stand by her, and remember that NHS treatment is first class - but the administration around it is not perfect so you will need to ensure that things do happen when they are meant to, that appointments don’t go astray and so on.

[Hidden in reply to Happyrosie]

Hi, I too am supporting my baby sister with her primary cancer. She saw me through it, so it's only fair I do the same for her. Wishing you both good wishes.

[knitwitty in reply to Hidden]

Hope everything goes well for your sister, thank you for responding, sending you both best wishes.

[knitwitty in reply to Happyrosie]

Thank you for those encouraging words.

I suppose I was hoping that if it was a completely new cancer it would indicate less of a chance that it had metastasised.

She just wants to get on with things and get the treatment started now.

She had excellent treatment last time and is at the same hospital, so she feels quite confident that they know what they are doing.

[anrean]

So sorry about the second diagnosis for your sister. It is the shoe that finally dropped, and can be a more fearful time than the first. She is very blessed to have you supporting her. A mastectomy is not easy, and your support will go a long way in helping her heal both physically and emotionally.

I am on my 5th cancer, two of them were left and right breasts. My oncologist said that if it returned, he had tricks up his sleeve to do radiation again on either breast. While that is here in the US, perhaps a 2nd opinion would be a good thing. None of my cancers have been metastatic - all are brand new. The first was 2004 and the second 2009. I had one tumor in the right breast, and two - one almost encapsulating the other in the left...odd thing was that the two in the left breast were complete opposites, one triple negative and the other a variation. The good news is that the treatments, including mastectomy, have come so very far! I was amazed at the changes from 2004 to 2009, and continue to be astounded by the progress that has been made in breast cancer! Please do some research, but be very, very careful about what you read and know that treatments are changing so fast the internet cannot keep up - especially with prognosis data. Take what you need, and leave the rest behind. Life expectancy and such are so much greater than the research that is available for us to read will often show, so leave the doom and gloom behind.

Please keep us up to date and don't be afraid to ask questions as you learn more about your sister's tumor markers and treatment options.

God Bless

[knitwitty in reply to anrean]

Thank you so much for those inspiring words anrean you seem to have far more than your fair share of breast cancer, I am glad you have such supportive team of doctors looking after you. All the best for your future prognoses.

I shall look into all her options and fill her in where I feel it necessary, she prefers to listen to her doctors while I quietly worry in the background!

I won't hesitate to come back and ask more questions on here, everyone is so very helpful and supportive. Many thanks.

[AnneNS]

Your sister is lucky to have you to support her. I too had a lumpectomy and radiotherapy the first time and my recurrence came out of the blue16 years later. Like your sister, my recurrence was discovered through a mammogram, which showed 3 lumps in the same breast. I had a mastectomy 6 years ago and took tamoxofen for 5 of those years and I'm delighted to say I am well and happy, with no cancer in my body. It's very scary to have a recurrence but some of us are lucky and the outcome can be positive.

[knitwitty in reply to AnneNS]

Thank you very much for those reassuring words, I am delighted to hear that you are so well now, I shall keep your positive outcome in mind in the weeks and months ahead.

[Iyana271]

It is the worst feeling ever when you got to know that after surviving once from cancer you've diagnosed again. I wanted to know how come she found it later after reaching the second stage? Did she not found any early symptoms this time?

She is in stage 2 which means the cancer is not spread yet but growing & growth has only extended to the nearby lymph nodes. Stage 2 is further divided into groups like stage 2A, stage 2B on the basis of the size of the tumour and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes. So, I think the stage of breast cancer has nothing to do with the recurrence.

I understand how your sis must be feeling right now but she is really lucky to have a caring sister like you. I hope with your love & support she gets well soon.

Btw are the results of CT scan out? What did her doctor say and which treatment are they going to use to cure this time?

Best wishes!

[knitwitty in reply to Iyana271]

Thank you so much for replying, I think she may have got confused about the stage she has now told me it is Grade 2 not stage 2.

It was picked up on a routine mammogram as minute calcifications.

She has had a vascular scan which has showed up something on her kidney ( they think this may be a cyst) and something on her coccyx, but again they think this is unrelated.

She has a pre-op appointment on March 17th so we are hoping that she will be given a date for her op at that appointment.

She is keeping busy and trying not to think about things as best she can.

When I have any more information I'll come back and pick people's brains, for my own peace of mind.

Thank you for you thoughts and comments they are much appreciated.

[Iyana271 in reply to knitwitty]

I think diverting the mind from the disease is the best way to feel somewhat better. Take care of her & yourself too.

Good luck with the upcoming appointment, I hope everything will go well!

[knitwitty in reply to Iyana271]

Thank you for those kind words, they are much appreciated.