Hi, I am 38 years old, just been diagnosed with bi-lateral dcis breast cancer. will be having a masectomy on right side and breast conserving surgery on left. centinol node removal will be done on both sides. I am extremely worried aas my consultant said that my cancer is er negative and is difficult to treat if it has spread. anyone in similar situation or with some advice please. thank you.
hi,
sorry to hear about your diagnosis, it is all still very fresh for you so you must be in that gut wrenching yet bad dream shock stage. It does get better when you have a treatment plan and can see how things are likely to pan out over the coming months.
Well i must say your consultant is a charmer! I presume it was the surgeon at this stage rather than the oncologist? Well rest assured that although the surgeons have some knowledge obviously about treatments available after surgery, their expertise is in the actual surgery and it is the oncologist who knows their stuff on the available treatment alternatives.
Yes,people with oestrogen positive tumours can have some homrone therapies such as tamoxifen to help with their treatment, but it doesnt mean there are not really effective treatment options too for those people who arent oestrogen positive. Chemotherapy is used regardless of hormone status for example, if your oncologist and team think its appropriate for you.
Remember, the operation is designed to cut out all the cancer cells. If for some reason some stray ones have escaped, the chemotherapy then gets stuck in to sweep them out of anywhere they may be hiding. And then, if you have radiotherapy, they zap any cells which may have got past these two lines of attack. Hormone therapy, like tamoxifen, is just another piece of the puzzle.
I am aged 36 and was diagnosed in march with invasive ductal cancer, in my left breast. I had the lump out and sentinel node biopsy. Then I have had 6 cycles of chemotherapy and have just finished a month of radiotherapy. I have got through and so will you.
My tumour was only vaguely oestrogen positive, they marked it at 4 out of 8. I am having tamoxifen but they said the benefit isnt as high as for someone who is 8 out of 8 poisitve, makes sense really. But they are talking about a benefit of a few percent on survival rates, not massive numbers like 50%. Maybe you could ask what score yours had as sometimes they tell you a 3 or a 4 is negative, whereas some consultants would still give you hormone treatment at this level.
Finally, i see you wrote you have been diagnosed with DCIS. From what I know, this suggests it is not yet invasive ( I may be wrong and if i am someone please correct me!Ta)which is another thing on your side.
Be kind to yourself, you’ve basically been hit by a truck and just need to find a way through it, we will all help you as much as we can
Vickie
xxx
Hi Vickie, thank you so much for your feedback it has given me hope.
Your right my consultant is not a charmer,i found my breast care nurse to be more re-assuring than him. He told me i had dcis on both sides with a small invasion in the left. The left side was a complete surprise to me as i had only gone to the GP about the lump in the right breast. I had a mammogram last year because of a lump felt in the left side but was given the all-clear.
finding it very difficult to come to terms with, i have three children 14, 12 and 4. keep having negative thoughts. trying to replenish my stock of strength and will power.