Invasive ductile breast cancer: What should I expect?

I am sorry to hear of your diagnosis. What a blessing it was caught early.

I was able to find @rrarraw who mentioned she has also been diagnosed with Invasive Ductile Carcinoma and thought it would be good to bring her into the conversation to see what information she has to share with you.

Were you in for a routine mammogram when it was found? How are you doing with the news?

I was diagnosed 4/14 and will have a lumpectomy on 5/14. Early stage, grade 1 IDC, er+ PR+, Hers2-. I am 73 years old, I want a longer life. Will be weighing treatment options with quality of life.

@sandyrob - I just want to wish you well- I think you will have a long life.
I was where you are now 29 years ago. Same tumor, but hormone neg.
Treatments have changed over the years- it also depends on your age.
Because of the tumor’s size, mastectomy and chemo was recommended. I don’t think the same recommendation would be given today.
I’m still here and very grateful at 77.

Yes, it was found during a routine mammogram I delayed my annual screening because of COVID, especially given the local reluctance of a good segment of the people to adhere to standard cautions (masking, distancing), but the surgeon said it may not have made a difference. The cancer might have been too small to detect during my due mammogram, so in a way it sort of worked out. I’m pretty calm about the diagnosis, the prognosis is excellent. Tumor size 8 Millimeters, so quite small. Still, I’d be interested to hear about which hormone treatment options seem to be best tolerated, with fewest side effects, and still being effective.

I had IDC found during routine check. Diagnosed in May 2018. I had a lumpectomy with radiation. Stage 1, grade 3B. I started on anastrozole but found I could not tolerate the side effects - after 12 months I switched to Exemestane which I find I can tolerate. Each person is different - like 60% of women have no side effects. So you won't know unless you try it. I was 62 - so wanted to try it for the reduction of future reoccurrence. I'm not saying Exemestane had no side effects - but ones I can deal with. My joint pain is like a 1 on it - where on Anastrozole it was like a 7 all the time. People with no side effects don't post. 🙂 Good luck with what you decide - I find the most important factor is trusting your oncologist. If you don't like them- find a new one.

I was diagnosed in January with hormone positive IDC. I'm 40 yo, my first mammogram. I had a lumpectomy, radiation, and just started Tamoxifen this week. Physically I'm fine. Mentally I'm exhausted and can cry at the drop of a hat. Get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, my oncologist recommended Ginseng to help with fatigue. I'm just starting it as well. There's a Mayo clinic study you can Google if you're interested. You'll do great! Listen to your body, that's the hardest part. Slow down and take care of you.

I was diagnosed with invasive ductile and lobular carcinoma. I had a lumpectomy and 3 lymph nodes removed. The lump margins were good but one of the nodes came back with cancer. I am now changing course of treatment to include chemotherapy. Do most people get a second opinion?

@grandmapeggy - I’m sorry about your diagnosis. It is hard to digest.
I had invasive ductal carcinoma many years ago.
I think everyone should have a second opinion. My oncologist helped arrange one for me.
It is a very important decision to make and you want to make sure you get the correct treatment.
I wish you luck and not too much discomfort.

I had a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy yesterday (Friday) so of course there is no one in the office to ask about this. From what the doctor said before surgery, if the first set of lymph nodes showed cancer, he would take out more. "high Neoprobe counts" ?? Means what?

" Findings: 4 sentinel nodes removed, all with high Neoprobe counts. 3 nonsentinel nodes removed based on their proximity to the sentinel lymphnodes."

@grandmapeggy and @sandyrob, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You will see that I moved both of your comments to a discussion that is talking about lumpectomies and breast cancer. I did this so you could not only meet each other as you share your experiences, but also connect with people in the group that have similar stories to share.

Sandy, a lot of times hospitals will have physicians on call, did you try to call and ask? do you have a follow up appt on Monday?

Peggy, Is your choice to move to chemo a chance to avoid further surgery?