Locator clips placed during lumpectomy for radiation therapy

They placed my marker in, when I had the biopsy done, but the surgeon removed it with the wire and tumor. I thought it was going to be left in but it was removed.

They placed my marker in, when I had the biopsy done, but the surgeon removed it with the wire and tumor. I thought it was going to be left in but it was removed.

I also wondered about the safety of a needle biopsy, pondering that the process itself might cause a dispersion of an otherwise stable colony of cancer cells, but was reassured by the fact that the protocol was for the radiologist to use a vacuum-assisted wide needle so the odds of that were very low. I also read a ton of research on Google Scholar and one oncologist studied just that risk and found that lone cancer cells tend to die off. That is, they need to achieve some critical mass with other cancer cells to be a risk. So those two things helped my decision to skip the radiation. A third factor was the idea that, should I be unlucky and cancer recur in that breast, I wouldn't be eligible for radiation a second time.

Your doctor misrepresented the data yielded by the OncotypeDX though. It's primary use is in determining, statistically, the risk v. benefits of chemo but it also yields an estimated 'risk of recurrence within 9 years' for specific breast cancer profiles if the person takes aromatase inhibitors. Aromatase inhibitors are currently presumed to reduce recurrence by approximately 45%. So one can use the OncotypeDX result to also calculate risk of recurrence if not taking aromatase inhibitors. So, for the breast cancers that are eligible for OncotypeDX testing (primarily small, low grade, early stage), it's a worthwhile test beyond just helping form a chemo decision in my opinion.

The follow-up regime I'm on is to have bloodwork, including for tumor markers, mammo and ultrasound every six months followed by a review appointment with both oncologist and post-surgical review surgeon. The mammo and ultrasound are both also done by the radiologist who found the original problem.

My contribution was to improve my diet significantly. The endocrinologist I also consulted mentioned that fat is an 'estrogen factory' so that got my attention and helped get me back to what I think of as 'eating like a sentient adult' and knocking off remaining lockdown weight. And I now go days without thinking about cancer. I figure that I'll deal with it, if it recurs, and at least be otherwise healthier from other changes I've made but that's all I can reasonably do.

I think cancer recurrence odds are, well, whatever they are. But find it interesting that men who've had successfuk treatment for prostate cancers with similar odds, tend to think of themselves as "cancer free" while women tend not to according to studies I've read. I think that some of that could be attributed to the fact that doctors want us to be aware of the nature of cancer and to continue with mammograms and other medical follow-up. So maybe recurrence is stressed so that people don't get a little negligent and figure that having had cancer once they are protected against it for life. But the downside of that can be kind of mentally living in Cancerland even in the absence of any currently identified cancer. So I think there's a balancing act between doing everything intelligent in respecting what a wiley foe cancer can be without letting it become a huge shadow over one's life.

I am afraid of more autoimmune because they placed stainless steel clips during my lumpectomy. I currently am fighting mast cell , and did not want any markers. I a waiting to see a plan from my DR and from Mayo Clinic.

Hi @bjjoyce1

I am hoping that you will not have any problems with mast cell activation and stainless
steel.

I think that stainless steel should be a neutral reaction and not key in mast cells.
Titatium should be neutral too.
But a doctor must comment on these.

Make a list of any mast cell reactions that you have had and any medicines too that you have had a reaction to taking.

Ask for a plan to deal with this with the doctor and ask him to ensure that you are not given
anything that are known causes of mast cell reactions and what immediate
products such as anti- histamines that can be used.

You've got this and will be ok.

🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

Is there a difference between a clip and a marker? Wonder why they placed my clips during lump removal surgery, and they were left in when I read others had them removed during surgery. I believe they should be removed because my body attacks itself without any metal being placed in it. Does anyone know when the markers should be placed?

My dr's do not understand mast cell. or my allergies in Ohio. I spend days trying to find medicine that doesn't contain any form of soy. 92% of all medicine contains a form of soy/Monsanto' gmo. I go ana , angioedema , or get a form of boils and thin skin depending on the form of soy. I react worse to the soybean oil and nasal smells which put me into anaphylaxis - feels like a ball in my throat and i get red like a hot iron was placed on my skin. ER will give me an IV of Benadryl and Pepsid. I have learned how to keep myself out of ER. My allergist is in Charlottesville VA . Which has helped me stabilize reactions. After my RLN was damaged from the removal of my thyroid, 2 para thyroid and a hyper hypo nodules, then reattachment of another para thyroid I developed allergies to all environmental. Drs at Baptist Hospital in JAX helped me get 75% of my voice back in 2015. Porcine thyroid medicine was able to replace the levothyroxine I was allergic . Then in Nov 2020 a Titanium marker was placed in my right breast during a biopsy, which was ok. I had atrophy at the 9 o"clock location on my right breast. I started having perfused sweating and could no longer cut my grass. I was trying to get the t. marker removed, when it was found I had breast cancer. It started with a bad mammo in Dec 2022,Surgery Feb 15 2023. The hospitals use my medicine when ever I'm in the hospital. I have compound med's or know what does not have soy. It takes days for me to contact pharmaceuticals to learn inactive ingredient derivatives., and be able to get the medicine. Many tines they have no idea what some ingredients are derived from because they sub contract it out. So a variable is assumed to be soy, or it is not on a clean line and can contain cross contamination. If the product is really free from soy, then many times the cross will not affect me badly. The FDA allows a small % of soy oil to be used and not call an ingredient. i.e. many can foods have the cans lined in soy, which is never listed as an ingredient. I can not have ace or arb's because I swell. The only pain med I can take is Tylenol m and that must be checked for soy , Soy has 72 names. So many Dr's and hospitals want to use Propofol as an anesthesia , which is soybean. Thank You. I spoke with someone at Mayo which told me they would give the cocktail prior surgery. I gave them my Benadryl , and they added the prednisone and Zyrtec. WE knew the 2 didn't contain soy, but the Zyrtec would have it. I told her it would be ok bec the other two would prevent a severe reaction. It worked great and I didn't have any reaction. They put me into twilight sleep Etomidate, versed, lidocaine, and a small amount of fentanyl. I was worried about the Fentanyl bec my mother reacted to the patch by having water pour out her pores on her legs. All worked out, except i am worried about any metal being in my body. My gums swell up and down from my mouth practical. I heard it was the Nichol which is generally in metal implants which cause the reactions.