Hello all,
Due to some vomiting I was experiencing, seemingly out of nowhere, I had an upper endoscopy last week. Still no word from anyone on the results, but I read them on the portal. Apparently, I now have signet ring carcinoma in my stomach. From what I have read, this is completely unrelated to my breast cancer. Does anyone else have a secondary cancer? It’s a frightening prospect to be sure. Keep up the good fight. Such a struggle.
Eleven hours and no reply? I will just fill in until someone who can be more helpful replies. I only know second hand.
It happens, maybe not frequent. Oddly, just yesterday I had a call from someone I met through this group, and she has a secondary cancer, but now they are saying "precancerous," and they will keep an eye on it. Nowhere near and unrelated to her mbc, but a serious one.
We already have so much to deal with, and there always seems to be more. I don't know about signet ring, what the treatments might be. Sounds like it was caught early. Good thing. Actually, other cases I have heard of on this board were similarly caught early because they were checking for breast cancer.
I hope it was caught early! I still have not heard one word from my oncologist and it’s been 8 days. I contacted the GI doctor and he got back to me right away and said he had spoken with her just after they received the results. He said they were waiting for some more results from the pathologist. Why can’t my oncologist just tell me they’re working on it? I’m very frustrated with her! Thanks for your reply.
I HATE that. My oncologist is like that, too. Recently, I got results on the portal, didn't know what they meant, but was alarmed. I have her email and she just wrote back, "We can talk about it at your next appointment," in 3 weeks. Not acceptable. Yet, I am still seeing her. I wrote again and insisted she relieve me of my concerns, and she did, vaguely. I read here of people who have a team, of people with oncologists who are supportive and encouraging. I thought mine was at least informative, but she isn't. I can't get myself to switch. Inertia. Not sure what your situation is, what your alternatives are, but I am in NYC and have options. You are right to be frustrated.
Are you at MSK? I am at one of their satellite offices in NJ and I never have been replied to like that. Of course, I call doctors out on anything that makes me nuts! Also, they found thyroid cancer on my first PET and we dealt with that early on.
Columbia. Get second opinions at MSK.
I "met" someone in a chat room at an LBCC conference who is also at Columbia and sees a different oncologist there who sounds wonderful. There is a nurse practitioner I talk to, and she tells me what that oncologist would do, and then I press for that and it works. Communication with my oncologist is not good. She is supposed to be excellent. Awkward to switch within the same small department. I don't think the treatment would change. Sometimes I have to push to get what the MSK doc recommends or the other oncologist, and she does it. She is better with me when I am upbeat and feeling well. My appointment last week was not like that and she gave me short shrift. As I said, inertia -- but also people saying she is good and her patients do well.
I am at MSK in NYC and have superior, amazing communication with my onc. and her team. Hours sometimes minutes and my questions and concerns are answered kindly and completely. Pleaseeeeeeeee do not stay with a doctor with no empathy as MSK is filled with kindness. My doctors name is Dr Aya Gulcap at The Breast Center on East 66th Street. MSK makes it easy to switch just make that first call, they take care of everything else.
When I went to MSK for a second opinion, they chose the doc for me. I couldn't choose. She is okay, but she is not all that different from the Columbia doc. I assume if I switched, I would get her. (Columbia is 4 blocks from my apartment. Since I am always getting labs and seeing other docs and dentists, it makes it easy that they can see all my records, huge difference and that multiple appointments take little time.)
YOU can ask for a specific doctor!! I am positive. Today I had a question it was answered in 5 minutes AND the doc is on vacation. Your doc not answering you breaks my heart for you. You have enough stress from BC u don’t need doctor stress!!!!
That does sound great, BorisCarloff(!). For a second opinion, one cannot choose. I explored that fully. They said it didn't matter because you always get a team. Hmm, I think I might find someone like that at Columbia. My primary doc was like that -- called, wrote -- until she accumulated 1000 patients, which Columbia requires of gp's, and had two kids. She still tries, but can't.
Keep chasing. Ask 'why? until you get a satisfactory response. Ie why are you seeking more on the pathology?
If they're seeking more info on the pathology perhaps they're considering if it could be mets from the breast cancer?
As we are monitored closely and regularly I would imagine it's been caught early whatever it is.
Keep us updated.
My uncle had prostate cancer and during regular scans they picked up early bowel cancer. He had treatment for that but his prostate cancer was stage four.
I know of a woman who had pancreatic cancer which was cured but a couple of decades later she was diagnosed with stomach cancer and during scans to check it out they found breast cancer.
My GP said two simultaneous primary cancers are not unheard of.
Many cancers caught early can be treated successfully and that’s an advantage of all the scans we have. Things that might otherwise get missed until too late are caught in time to do something.
I just read some on it. It can be breast cancer -- maybe that is what they are waiting to hear. But it is important to treat it quickly. I think you need to be more aggressive (assertive?) with your oncologist. My feeling when I was originally diagnosed with breast cancer was "get it out, now." I rushed everything through. If it is early, they can cut it out with an endoscopy.
Whoops, I slipped into practicing medicine without a license again! I don't know what I am talking about, but I think you need to insist on being kept informed and trying to get them to rush on treatment.
Hi. I do have Mets to my stomach, lobular, with signet ring features. I wanted to let you know it most likely is still breast cancer. I’m sorry your oncologist is not getting back with you. That’s unacceptable. Do you have lobular?
Yes, I have lobular and ductal. I had a huge amount of lobular tumors in my stomach in 2021, but Ibrance got rid of them. I would hope that this new occurrence would be lobular. I finally have a zoom meeting with my oncologist tomorrow. She’s been gathering more data from the pathologist. Thanks for your reply.
Please let me know what you find out. I’m glad you have a Zoom.
The doctor says it’s my lobular again in my stomach. So relieved it’s not a new cancer. She’ll test for mutations and I’ll start new medicine in September. Never thought I’d be relieved to only have one cancer! Thanks for your support.
I’m so glad for you that it’s not a secondary cancer. I hope my telling you that mine was signet ring gave you some ease while you waited. If you have the ESR1 mutation, I want to tell you I did do Orserdu, and it helped for 9.5 months. Please let me know what you’ll be starting.
That IS good, just one type of treatment, but it means your last one failed. Onward.
Oh Nocillo.
I have often wondered about this. Should be getting bowel and ovarian and other check-ups. And now you put this up here.
I’m so sorry that this has happened to you, and no words from your team? That is shocking. For you to have to read it on your portal.
Please keep up your good fight too good woman.
Thank you. I finally will have a zoom call tomorrow and hopefully many questions will be answered.
Hi
I was diagnosed with a lung cancer while being worked up for breast cancer….completely unrelated. After initial surgery, chemo and radiation for the breast CA, I went in and had an upper lobectomy of the lung. So far, no recurrence in the lung and no further treatment needed (that was about 2008). I was so grateful that it was found early! They treated them as individual diseases. It’s twice the fight but when you know the problem you can do something about it. I’m so sorry that this has been added to your plate! And I’m sorry no one got back to you immediately with the results…..it’s an infuriating trend to put pts in the position where they need to Google their test results! 🤦🏼♀️
Whatever this is, gather your team and go for it….you can do this! Please keep us posted and know you are in the thoughts of many with tons of good wishes coming your way 💕
Thank you. I appreciate it! Glad you’ve had no recurrence!!!
Hello Nocillo, I too have the signet ringed cells in my breast cancer and it's breast cancer not another primary. However, despite that I was recently diagnosed with limited stage small cell lung cancer in July. I had a tumor in the right lung near the sternum that wasn't shrinking or growing and another lung biopsy determined lung cancer. My first lung bronoscopy was all breast cancer so this came as a surprise. I am now going through chemo and radiation for the tumor (I opted for no surgery since I have mets from MBC in lungs, liver (now gone), right adrenal gland) and still on my letrozole. I will go back on the Ibrance (it has shrunk my MBC tumors and I am stable) after 3 more cycles of chemo. Then I will also do immunotherapy for the lung cancer after chemo. Hanging in there as you say. Hugs 🤗🤗. Alicia
Metastatic Cancer and Medicare
Gastric cancer
Cancer Free with Food by Liana Werner-Gray
Breast cancer in stomach
