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Invasive breast cancer: What's next?

Posted by pegg1970 @pegg1970, Apr 17, 2023

I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. My patho report only said that. What Dow this mean? What’s next? I’m waiting for a call from a surgeon to make the
next plans

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Sue Ellen Murrey | @semurrey | Aug 15, 2023
In reply to @mdr3 "You are so right about perceptions. I went with everything they could throw at it and..." + (show)
@mdr3

You are so right about perceptions. I went with everything they could throw at it and never looked back. ILC is a different animal for sure. It can hide (and DID) in my case. The skill of my surgeon at the time was key (clear margins) and knowing to take the 16 nodes (of which 10 were positive). Going in, we thought my cancer was 1a. Ended up being 3c. Fortunately, AI is agreeing with me. Dana Farber had a very nuanced approach to my care, and I'm looking at 8 years of the AI total (after 2 years Tamoxifen). Also had Zometa for 3 years. Didn't go to Dana Farber until I wanted a second opinion on aftercare, and am glad I did. Diagnosed 2/19. Such a personal decision (especially what we decide to do as part of the survivorship phase).

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I'm happy you went with Dana Farber for a second opinion. While I feel in very good hands, my oncologist is crazy busy and I saw a NP for 3 month appt to review Letrozole. No mammo for a year (in Oct my regular mammo month). Since my ILC was hidden behind a large dense breast with a large benign cyst I feel very lucky! Although I do think it may have been caught earlier had I heeded MA required Density Letter and asked for supplemental scans over the years. My gyno did request a MRI 10 years ago which looked good but again I think another MRI would have been helpful over the last 10 yrs. Why so stingy with MRI for even dense breasts. The NP said MRI only offered at 1 year if I had the BRAC gene which fortunately I do not. I will ask in Oct. if I can have a survivorship plan which includes an annual MRI. I'll keep you posted and just wondering if you could shar your surveillance plan with your 3c stage ILC. xoxo

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rosa1935 | @rosa1935 | Aug 16, 2023
In reply to @anjalima "I take Anastrozole daily … 18 mos now. I chose hormone treatment only and have mild..." + (show)
@anjalima

I take Anastrozole daily … 18 mos now. I chose hormone treatment only and have mild side effects of joint stiffness and discomfort mitigated by yoga stretching and walking( joint movement). My cholesterol has not changed and my bone density ( mild osteopenia ) was completely stable at 12 months.

I thought I had some hair thinning from Anastrozole but it stopped and reversed after 3-4 mos. I now understand that it was a reaction from the stress of surgery and anesthesia.

It’s a daily dose. Many women have no or mild and manageable side effects. It cuts risk of recurrence for certain hormone based cancers. If your oncologist feels that it would benefit you why not try it? With a 50 hour half life it’s an easy fix if you find it to be intolerable.

I opted out of radiation. Research the TAILOR RT trial which is looking into the value of radiation for certain Breast Cancer profiles. I qualified for the trial as per my B Cancer profile. One arm of trial is hormone therapy alone. Ultimately I couldn’t participate for an unrelated reason but I chose to decline radiation based on this trial information.

Best to you and all of us on this unwanted path.

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I took Anastrozole fir nearly 2 years and it’s managed to cause untold problems with my back. Had mri and, thankfully, no secondary cancer. No arthritis either - just normal wear and tear for a 71 year old woman. I’ve had to fight to b changed off of it and have now been on exemestane for 11 days. It will take at least 4-6 weeks , probably more lije 4-6 months, to see if this med suits me better. If it doesn’t, then I’m going to stop taking it and any other hormone meds. I used to b able to walk 20-30 kilometres a week. Now I’m lucky to do 10 cis of my back and I’ve had to force myself to go out an walk. X

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