Likely breast cancer after ultrasound

[spartanrunnergirl]

Hi all after routine mammogram I was referred for an ultrasound, which I had today and the radiologist said it's likely a cancer, thus did a few core biopsies. I did not know that cancer could be detected at ultrasound stage but she was pretty certain it was cancer and said the biopsies were to see what they were dealing with. Has anyone else had this? Thank you

I was diagnosed 3 days before the first lockdown so I had immediate surgery, a wide incision lumpectomy and sentinel node removal. Found to be node clear (knew this already really as radiologist had said my nodes were healthy at ultrasound). I had my radio and chemo back to front. So 5 days straight of radio followed by 4 cycles of Paclitaxel. Because I was HER2+ I had a year of immunotherapy (Herceptin). Onc said chemo was belts and braces and you have to have it if you’re going to have Herceptin. Any questions, please ask!

@AlwaysALargeSauvignonBlanc welcome to the club no one wants to be in. These ladies here are fantastic though, glad you've found the thread!

@TheFormidableMrsC glad your daughter is ok!

I'm just starting the next part of the process now, talking about potential reconstruction as I'm currently flat on one side. So many decisions to make!

Hope everyone is managing to enjoy the sunshine in some way, even if it is just looking at the blue sky through the window from bed x

Hi @AlwaysALargeSauvignonBlanc I had wide local excision (lumpectomy) and sentinel lymph node biopsy at the same time. The lymph nodes were clear, so I then had 15 days of radiotherapy - whole breast and boost to tumour site. I now take tamoxifen for 5 years. My cancer was the IDC and was er and pr positive. I was diagnosed 7 October 2024 and finished my active treatment end of December. Very happy to answer any questions x

Thank you for sharing. How are you now ?

Chemo isn’t in the plan at the moment. I’m guessing that’s something that may get added into the mix dependant on the outcome of the pathology after surgery maybe.

How was your radiotherapy ? From what I’ve read, it sounds like there are minimal side effects but I’m guessing that’s too good to be true …

Thank you for sharing. Apparently one of my lymph nodes is larger than they would like so I’m not sure I can be very confident about that biopsy coming back clear. I don’t really know what will differ if it doesn’t.

My breast care nurse called me this morning to say she is doing a referral for genetic testing as I am 40 and I have 3 girls. Apparently the threshold is under 40 so she is hopeful someone will use some common sense and agree to the testing. I have my blood test booked for just before my biopsy on Tuesday.

I hope you are doing well now

Oh I’m fine! It’s been five years. Have my five year mammo just after Easter hols. I “think” I’m ok, no reason to think otherwise. Radio was fine. Mine was the whole two weeks in five days, which they are moving more towards now. At the time I was worried that it wasn’t “enough” but they took time to explain it was the same but research had shown it was as tolerable as doing 14 days. I used 100% aloe gel and E45 lotion and took that to every treatment. I did get a split under my boob that needed a prescription medication but it healed within a few days. I walked to all my treatments and back (6 miles round) because the weather was lovely and I am convinced that stopped side effects. I had none from chemo, at all. You will have to wait for your histology post surgery and they will then give you a full plan. My advice is concentrate on surgery. Get the bugger out. The rest is belts and braces!

If you have lymph node involvement you are likely to need chemo. However, there are many many reasons for enlarged lymph nodes so don’t worry yet. I had a massive one in my collar bone. I only noticed it post biopsy when I was gurning in the mirror plucking chin hairs 🙄. Admittedly I knew then I was going to get a cancer diagnosis. You can’t and must not drive yourself mad. The wait for info is horrible but once you know, you’re more in control.

Hi @AlwaysALargeSauvignonBlanc I’m doing very well. Healed, fit and strong and back to work and all my running! The worst I felt was the waiting for test results and plans, it is draining. Surgery was much more straightforward than I expected and radio whilst giving me some minor ongoing side effects was fine. I started the process terribly anxious about the whole plan and the reality is as MrsC says they can’t be sure until they do the surgery and histology on lump and nodes. Stepping stones was how I learned to look at it and that helped. Getting used to big feelings helped too, and allowing those feelings to happen and subside.

Thank you both. Just those few comments have helped massively.
I was fully expecting my diagnosis (DH not so much, he had definitely put his positive pants on and got a bit of a shock !) and I am surprisingly calm.
Telling our kids was just awful but they are amazing and we have had quite a normal day today. It’s been nice ☺️

@AlwaysALargeSauvignonBlanc really sorry to hear about your diagnosis. But am here to offer lots of reassurance. I was diagnosed with ER+ early breast cancer at the same time as @TheFormidableMrsC. My tumour was only 1.7mm but hidden inside a patch of DCIS. So, they whisked me in for surgery (a therapeutic breast reduction for me because my boobs were a 34G and a standard lumpectomy would be too disfiguring). Luckily no lymph node involvement. Then I also had the 5 days of heavy duty radiotherapy + Tamoxifen.

Hand on heart, it was so much easier and doable than I feared. In fact, it felt almost mundane by the end. I went from the blind panic at diagnosis, to just being irritated by the traffic en route to my radiotherapy appointment. It was all much calmer and straightforward than I ever anticipated. Only two downsides were having to wait 20 months for my breast symmetry surgery and I couldn't tolerate Tamoxifen after 3 years (but most women do).

I've just had my 5th and final mammogram and been discharged by the breast clinic. My consultant told me she really didn't expect to ever see me again which reassuring. Obviously I wish it had never happened, but on the plus side it just showed me what a truly loving and supportive DH I have and I now have two very perky 34D boobs. So, yeah, every cloud.....etc.

@TheFormidableMrsC great news about your daughter. What a worry.

@AlwaysALargeSauvignonBlanc sorry to hear about your diagnosis and fingers crossed for you for your biopsy. The long waits for results is the worst. Hope your kids are ok. My 8yo son had some questions a few days after I told him, I think (like us!) it can take them a while to digest it.

Always good to hear stories from the other side too, it’s making it feel more manageable.

@Arraminta I’m interested to hear about your Tamoxifen experience if you don’t mind sharing as I’ll need to take it too. It’s the thing I’m most dreading tbh as my hormones are already out of whack.

I had my surgery yesterday, a therapeutic mammoplasty as I had the tumour plus an area of DCIS right under my nipple, and the lymph node biopsy. Currently off my face on codeine being brought breakfast in bed! It was a very long day but my surgeon, anaesthetist and nurse were amazing. I kept crying at the overwhelm of it all but it was all ok. I’ve also got a very fancy battery-pack powered dressing which suctions the wound together. Amazing!

Now just a long 3 week wait for results. The surgeon was most concerned about clear margins so hoping hoping hoping that’s what we get.

@MonOncleI have to take Tamoxifen for 10 years, I’m five years in now. It’s been fine to be fair. I had some joint aches to start and some bloating (which I still get as it does cause water retention). It has largely settled down. What I did get out of the blue was Plantar Fasciitis. Again, that has resolved. I decided not to look too far into it really, I have to take it so it is what it is.

@TheFormidableMrsC thank you, that’s really reassuring too!

No problem. Like you I was so wary of Tamoxifen because I struggled horribly with hormonal mood swings etc. At first I was actually fine, though I got the bloating and aching joints. But after 2 years I started to get UTIs and the symptoms of vaginal atrophy which was very uncomfortable. I powered on but by the end of the third year I'd had enough and stopped taking it.

I also did a lot of research into the actual real benefits of Tamoxifen. My oncologist had led me to believe that taking Tamoxifen would reduce my risk of reoccurance by 50%, which is technically true. And it sounds like A LOT of protection, right?

Except, in my circumstances, it was the difference between a 1% risk of reoccurance (without Tamoxifen) as opposed to a 0.5% risk of reoccurance (with Tamoxifen).

My oncologist was very reluctant to admit this to me, but in the end confirmed I was punishing my body with Tamoxifen (and the damage it does to your heart, increased risk of strokes, pulmonary embolism and uterine cancer etc) for a tiny 0.5% increase in protection.

So, it just simply wasn't worth it to me. Especially as heart disease & strokes are common in my family. Also, my MIL took Tamoxifen for 10 years and was cancer free for 28 years, but then died of a massive pulmonary embolism when she was only 74, having been perfectly fit and well otherwise.

Obviously do your own research and talk with your oncologist, but get them to be 100% transparent with you.

@Arraminta thank you so
much, really helpful to know.

@ArramintaThat’s a really helpful post. I should
perhaps look into a bit more although I am currently ok on it. I recently went to my GP for something unconnected but he asked why I was still on tamoxifen approaching 56. He felt I should have been moved onto Anastrazole or Letrozole as surely I’m post menopause. Except I don’t think I am. I still have a monthly cycle of symptoms but no bleeding. I queried with onc who wrote to me and GP saying he’d review in August of this year. I should perhaps follow this up.

Thank you. Initially I just accepted the 'reduces the risk of reoccurance by up to 50%' at face value. It was only when my DH (who is very mathematical) asked whether my oncologist meant 50% as a relative percentage or an absolute percentage that I started digging deeper. My oncologist really, really didn't want to admit that the absolute overall benefit of me taking Tamoxifen was just the difference between 0.5% and 1%.

Tamoxifen isn't nearly as effective at preventing a cancer reoccurance as we are led to believe. Especially when weighed against the damage it does to your body whilst 'protecting' you.

@ArramintaI’m going to query it on the back of this I think. What I do think gives good protection is aspirin. I take 75 mg a day. CRUK published research in support of this for breast cancer patients. Reduction of recurrence was 15% or more which is pretty good. Also lifting weights. I do that too.

I'm supposed to be on Tamoxifen for 5 years (I'll be 61 this year). My oncologist, who is normally very detailed and thorough, hasn't mentioned me going onto an AI afterwards (I think I'd be refusing). I told him I was going to continue using vaginal estrogen, because what's the point of being alive if you can't sit down without pain or have sex.

We had a chat about recurrence, and I never thought to ask him my individual percentage decrease in risk if I take it. I'm going to email him.

I'm going to check out the study on aspirin, too. I did ask about daily loratadine, as there has been a small study into that, but he didn't think it was worth it unless you needed to take it for allergies anyway.

I had IDC, grade 3. Triple positive, so I had 16 rounds of chemo, the first four were dose dense EC, then 12 rounds of paclitaxel. Then surgery (lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy), the surgeon got clear margins and there was no node involvement. I'm now halfway through radiotherapy, then that's the end of active treatment (I was diagnosed on 31st August, so seven and a half months of active treatment 🤯). Immunotherapy (Herceptin) is every three weeks until November, and six monthly Zometa infusions for three years (for my bones). With DEXA scans and ECG appointments sprinkled in here and there!

Oh jesus. That sounds brutal @BatshitCrazyWoman .

Can I ask, what determined your need for chemo, was it due to being grade 3 ?

My consultant believes mine to be grade 2, although not had the full details back re: receptors yet so I don't know those specifics at the moment. There has been no mention of chemo for me in the initial plan but I understand this can change at any point once my lymph node biopsy comes back / my surgery is done and they have a full pathology.

I'm not exactly sure @AlwaysALargeSauvignonBlanc , I think it might have been because of the grade, and being triple positive. Chemo worked really well for me though, as the tumour had pretty much gone by the time I had surgery. Treatment plans seem to vary such a lot, I've had a few comments (from people who frankly know fuck all) who thought I'd be all over and done with it by Christmas. My treatment plan was pretty gruelling, but I'm on my way to radiotherapy 9 of fifteen this morning, so it's nearly over!

You probably won't know until they know exactly what they are dealing with, and things do change along the way.

I'm so glad chemo worked so well for you. I must admit, I think I find the thought of chemo the most scary part at the moment.
Great to hear you are nearly done with your radiotherapy.

Hope the sun shining makes it all a little bit brighter 😊

Knowing how much EC had nuked your tumour really motivated me to feel very positive about getting on with EC, @BatshitCrazyWoman I had my paclitaxel first.

@AlwaysALargeSauvignonBlanc if someone had told me a year ago that I would be diagnosed with cancer, go through three operations and 16 chemos, I would have felt overwhelmed. There are the parts where it all feels too much, although they seem to be before a plan. I got through it one treatment at a time, a part of a day at a time too. Now I’m on the other side I’m grateful to have been given a best chance forward.

Still getting used to the letrozole, particularly the stiff knee and hip joints. Hot flushes have magnified but I was used to those beforehand. Letrozole has affected my sleep quality although I caught up last night and slept for a record 11 1/2 hours - would have been longer but dh kindly brought me a cuppa. I’ve been using my Apple Watch to track movement and sleep quality through my treatment. I can certainly tell which ones are the steroid nights!

I’m with you there @BatshitCrazyWoman on the people who think it’s done and dusted. Although I’m through the chemo, there are a lot of things still to work through and it’s certainly not “all behind me” as people say to me.

@AlwaysALargeSauvignonBlanc I was terrified of chemo but it wasn’t as horrific as I had feared. The fantastic support on this thread and the wonderful staff team looking after me made it manageable (as well as family of course).