Hi,
I had WLE in January this year for 17mm cancer, followed by two weeks radiotherapy.
I had a lot of swelling afterwards, only the last few weeks I have noticed it’s starting to go down. I have just noticed a dent roughly where the cancer was which is just below the scar. It hasn’t been there until now and I’m freaking out as I initially found the cancer because I noticed a dent. Im hoping it’s just where the cancer was removed and is now noticeable as the swelling is going down. Has anyone else had the same? I have spoken to my BC nurse, who told me that it can be quite normal as the scar tissue heals and hardens but she is making an appointment for me to see my consultant. I’m now freaking out and terrified x
Hi, I had same last year. Dont think I had much in the way of swelling. I have noticed my breast is a bit different in terms of shape and size. I had also noticed dents where I didnt used to have dents. My bcn said this can happen after surgery due to tissue being moved around and is nothing to worry about. Hope this helps x
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I had radiotherapy 2 years ago and like you I had swelling which has now gone and once it had gone a dent appeared in the area around my scar . I had 2 procedures and noticed my breast has pulled in more every time I had something done. 2 years on my boob has contracted more so I have a larger dent and I think it’s just something something that happens naturally but if you’re worried maybe you could get an appointment with your BCN to assess it . Xx
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Thank you for your reply. Hopefully that’s all it is. I’m waiting for my BC nurse to get back to me with an appointment x
Thank you for your reply. It does sound reassuring. I spoke to my nurse today. Unfortunately my consultant is away for two weeks 
but she’s going to try to get me an appointment with someone else. She tried to tell me not to worry (not gonna happen) as I only had radiotherapy 6 months ago but obviously it’s best to be seen x
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Hi dolly-diva22
Thanks for posting.
As @poorlyboob and @JoanneN have said it can be quite common for the breast to change in shape and size and for some people, once the swelling settles, they may notice a dent around the area that the lump was taken. As @poorlyboob mentions this can be caused by the tissue being moved around.
It’s good to hear that you have spoken to your breast care nurse, and they are trying to arrange an appointment with someone else in the team.
It’s natural to worry when you notice a new change particularly in the months after completing treatment. Adapting to life after treatment can be difficult and often the need for information and support continues.
You may be interested in our Moving Forward resources that are for people who have had a diagnosis of primary breast cancer and have come to the end of their main hospital treatment within the last 2 years. They include our Moving Forward booklet and Moving Forward courses.
You can attend Moving Forward either at our face-to-face course or take part by joining online. Find a course near you or register for an online course via the links above or call us on 03457 077 1893.
Talking to someone who has had a similar experience can also be helpful. Our Someone Like Me service can match you with a trained volunteer who’s had a similar experience to you. You can be in touch with your volunteer by phone or email and they can share their personal experiences to answer your questions, offer support or simply listen to how you are feeling.
You can ring the Someone Like Me team on 0800 138 6551 or email them at someone.likeme@breastcancernow.org, so they can then match you to your volunteer.
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