breast cancer metastasis
breast cancer metastasis Hi my name is tracy. My mum was first diagnosed with breast cancer in her left breast when she was 45. She has now turned 59 and just been diagnosed with breast metastasis. Spread to lung, bone. Has been on arimidex for three months but docs going to take her of it as they say its not working. Anybody have any opinions about this. Feel so low just now really worried about her.
Hi
Sorry to hear about your mum.It is such a worry and I’m sure she is glad she has you to help her.
It is difficult to say what further treatments she can have as I don’t know what she has had already. There are lots of different chemo options and if she has bone mets then she should be on a bone strengthener or biphosponate like pamidronate or zometa.This reduces the tumour and stops the pain and builds the bone back up again. There is also radiotherapy that can be given to very painful bony area spread.
Please don’t despair there are a lot of people here who have lived for many years with secondaries.
If you give us more information then I’m sure we can help you more. I’m hormone negative so don’t know much abouyt the hormone therapies but there are options there as well.
Kate
Dear ucb4utc1 I am sorry to read that your Mum has recently been diagnosed with metastesis and that you are feeling so low at the moment. It may help you to know about our freephone confidential helpline on 0808 800 6000 which is open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-2pm. The helpliners are either breast care nurses or have had experience of breast cancer and can offer support, information and a ‘listening ear’ to help you through this difficult time. The helpline may be helpful for both you and your Mum to contact for this further support.
I hope you find this helpful.
Kind regards
Forum Host
Breast Cancer Care
Hi
Arimidex didnt work for me but im now on Aromasin which is a brand of exemestane it is a daily oral drug and is working better with less side effects than the arimidex, there are various drugs out there so have hope in that.
Let us know how shes i sgetting on
Lynnc
Hi there, does your Mum have tumour markers taken (bloods taken to measure the activity of cancer) each month? It took 3 months before Arimidex started to work for me but after 3 months my markers took a dramatic dive and I’ve been on Arimidex since Spring 2005, it’s still working. (I have bone mets) My markers had remained static during the 3 months so if your Mum’s markers have risen it sounds as though Arimidex isn’t for her.
There are other hormonals that work in a different way, Aromasin and Faslodex are 2 of them.
Take Care.
Hey just had results of scan after 6 months on aromasin all good just thought id let you know cause the arimidex stopped working for me after 3 months.
Love to you and your mom
lynnc
Hi Kate Hope you don’t mind me sending you a message. Just read that you were hormone negative which is the same as me. Everyone I know seems to be hormone positive. I don’t know if its better to be hormone positive or not. there seems to be more treatments out there if you are. I was diagnosed today with secondary breast cancer which really scares me. Its in my superclavical nodes. i see my oncologist on Tues to see what treatment I’ve to get.
It would be nice to here from you as i said I don’t know anyone else that is hormone neg.
Irene
For Irene Hi
I read your profile but it didn’t say whether you were triple negative or if you are her2+++. I think I was told that about one third of bc is hormone negative and it does feel that there are more options when you are hormone receptive and seem to be able to avoid chemo more than those of us who are hormone negative.
There are lots of women who post here who are hormone neg so it is probably worth posting a question about it and see who responds.
Do you ever use the www.bcpals.org.uk site as there is a forum for triple neg women and you can privately message people as well? I post there under the same name so you could contact me that way but being her2++ I don’t post on that part of the forum but post on the other open parts as well as the private secondary forum.
There are people here who have the same secondary spread as you - again either go through the search function on this forum or post a question.
I’ve got a referral to the marsden on tuesday as I am fast running out of options and am hoping to get on the tykerb trial there as herceptin has failed. Hopefully, you will find out what they propose then so please let me know how you get on. I presume it will be some sort of chemo.
It is very scary being diagnosed with secondaries - I was very scared when I was diagnosed with secondaries but now I sort of accept it and do stupid mind games like ‘well it might have spread here but it’s not there’. I try to be positive but it is hard and I am not always as upbeat as I sound in these forums.
You get lots of support and useful advice on the forums and it has really helped me and given me lots of knowledge that I can then go back to the onc with!!!
Keep in touch and i’m really sorry that you have secondary spread after such a short time. It is a real shock.
Love Kate
Hi Irene I’m triple negative too having been ER+ first time round. I was diagnosed with lung mets in October 2006. I had 6 cycles of chemo (epirubicin aka “the red devil”). After my post chemo scan the lung mets had disppeared leaving just scar tissue. My onc then decided that as I had been ER+ the first time round that she would put me back on Arimidex which I had beren taking for about a year prior to secondaries diagnoses. I had side effects this time round which I hadn’t had the last so Iwas put on Aromasin in April this year but I get more side affects with thatespecially arm pains and pins and needles which drive me mad at night so when I see my onc on Wednesday I’m going to ask to swap back, There does appear to be more treatment out there if you are positive but my onc says that there is plenty to go at when you are negative and there are new developments every year.
Being diagnosed with secondaries is really frightening. I was convinced I was going to be long gone by this time next year but having seen messages on here and other sites I realise that I could live quite along time - I read of one lady still being around after 17 years. I think of her when I’m feeling down and depressed which is getting less and less. Another thing that keeps me going is the love and care I get from my family, friends and work colleagues and I feel especially good when my little grandon pats me on my almost bald head (hair is now returning quite well) and says “Uv oo Nanny”.
Keep your chin up and try to be positive, not very easy I know but I think if we are positive we will survive much longer,
Thinking of you.
Luv Jan x