Bit history first: I (42) was diagnosed on 17/11/11 ago with ductual BC 5x7.5cm grade 2 (they say it’s a fragmented tumour not one solid lump), lymphnodes affected acc to biopsie (not SLNB just core biopsie, the ultrasound showed increased node or nodes, I’m not sure, didn’t ask and when I don’t ask they don’t say in detail). I had my first FEC on 2/12/11 and had a CT scan chest and abdomen 18 days after the first FEC. The CT was all clear, no sings of mets whatsoever, BUT they found one 5mm lesion on one of my vertebras and want to do a bone scan sometime soon. I have no symptoms, but I’m not sure what symptoms I should have anyway except some pain, but what pain? I have a sore lower back when standing or bending around too much, but I always had that (nursing and dog grooming for years). Would it be more of a distinct pain? If it were a tumour in my back would a 5mm one give symptoms? And what symptoms? They said this lesion could be anything and it is quite common to find lesions unrelated to cancer when doing a CT.
The other thing, although lymph nodes are affected and evidently spread confirmed by biopsie the CT scan showed no enlarged lymph nodes in the axilla. I take encouragment from that and wonder if it wasn’t that bad in the first place or was it very bad but the one chemo shrunk it down so much? I wonder if the lymph wasn’t that badly affected would that mean the lesion is less likely to be cancerous?
Sorry for the ramble and the question, but would appreciate some thoughts / experience form others. I have phoned the helpline two days ago and it was helpful, but it’s good to share with girls on the forum.
Glad your CT scan was clear, I got my results from my own chest/abdo CT scan yesterday and it was also clear.I’m also 42, Dx in September, my SNB showed 2/3 lymph nodes positive. Im due 4 FEC and 4 TAX
My onc also stated there was a very small mark/scar on a lung but they do not believe it to be anything to be concerned about as most people will have little marks, scarring on internal organs the same as we have marks and scars on our skins from years of bumps, nicks and just general non specific stuff. She stated (statistics…i hate stats with a passion) that 9/10 people scanned will have these non specific marks here and there.
I get scanned again at the end of my chemo and she said they will look at it then but she expects it to be the same. To test her I also asked if anything else showed and she confirmed i had gallstones…which I do - so that clarified she had the right scan loool.
I also have a swollen node in my groin which raised concern for me which is why they did the scan but they didnt even mention it - its not until last night I thought about it so I have much the same questions milling around my mind as you that I didnt ask.
I had my 3rd FEC yesterday. Im going to write down these questions next time in readiness for my 4th FEC in Jan. I was just so very anxious about the results I think I was sidetracked and just glad to hear those 2 words. Yes admittedly im a bit concerned about the lung mark im not gonna lie - but Im not going to stress over it for a further 4 months…if I become symptomatic of anything for more than 2 weeks I will call my team for advice.
Hi, I was diagnosed stage 4 from the beginning, with bone mets, in 2003. 8 years on I’m still pain free and I feel well. My bc spread through the blood and there are a small number of women using the secondaries forums who also had no lymph node involvement at diagnosis…BUT…CT scans do show up all sorts of non cancery things. A few months ago I thought I had lung mets…my last but one CT had shown enlarged nodes…turns out they were completely harmless. So try not to worry (hard not to I know!) and the bone scan will give you a far more accurate picture. There have been many women, in the past, in your position posting about suspected lesions and it all turned out okay in the end, I hope all ends well for you. x
Oh dear I googled it, nurse said lesion is on C7 and I found an orthop website where it says breast cancer “most common malignant lesion of the cervical spine”. I just would be not surprised now when they will say it’s a met. At least they caught it early as I have no pain in that region.
This is going from bad to worse, don’t know what to think.
Christine
edited to add bone scan is on thursday next week, but my clinic app is nearly two weeks later, I really don’t want ot wait that long
Hear hear Lulu!. A ct scan on me showed spine ok, a bone scan on same day showed “hot spots”. A mri scan the following day showed no tumour,just signs of a degenerative disease… so please try not to diagnose yourself from the internet, listen to sound advcel and most of all, relax. ENJOY YOUR Christmas! Love to you all, horsie x
Thanks you two for the answers. I have totally restrained myself from googling anything breast cancer related except the day I noticed changes on my breast. I have been getting a bit braver since and want to look this disease in the eye and made the mistake the other day. Lulu I googled the tumour you’re mentioning.
Helpline and a GP girl I know I spoke to on the phone the other day also said it’s common to come across these findings when doing a CT. It’s just that’s it likely to be a met obviously, but I’ll cope, no matter what, somehow.
Horsie, just shows you,eh? The helpline lady said the bone scan could / might show a met up only as a hot spot and it might not be conclusive (but again it might show it up as a met). It needs more images sometimes to get a clearer picture, best would be a sample and look under the microscope…or wait till it makes sympotms and grows.
Christine, have a relaxing & peaceful christmas. Eat,drink and get merry. You probably don’t have mets, but keep in touch and let us know how you get on. Xxxxx
Horsie, my tumour is 5 x 7.5 cm big, kind of fragmented they said, not one solid lump, lymph involved, grade 2, HER2 +++, oestrogen pos, I understand it’s stage 3A, just doesn’t sound so promising. Than again, the surgeon said you can have a small tumour as big as his finger nail and it could be a really nasty sod.
Your onc was correct, this is one instance when size really doesn’t matter! You can have big slow growing ones (like mine) and small ones which are very aggressive and grow very quickly. let’s hope yours is the former. It really is a crappy club which we belong to, I am savouring every moment With my children, and I’ll worry about my savings which have been depleted buying pressies for them, in the new year! Take care of yourself, look after yourself and enjoy christmas. Xxx
Christine… Its more like to be something benign than something malignant… Even after breast cancer your more likely to have normal aches and pains than secondary cancer.
Thanks Lulu I have no symptoms in that area, lower back pain a bit yes, but not around C7. Lower back pain is normal for me though, never that bad that I needed painkillers or was laying flat, just the normal kind of bother some people get if standing or bending too much.
Had the scan today, onc phoned me tonight to say that the results were “the bone scan was normal”, but she can’t exclude 100% that the lesion is not a met, We spoke about it for 11 minutes, kind of going round in circles, to reassure me she said things like “if it were me I would be happy not to look into it any further as it doesn’t cause me any pain”, and “this is a positive result” “the bone scan was normal” “breast cancer mets show up on the bone scan pretty reliable” “it’s probably no met” “if it’s a met I would expect not just one, but several, although it is possible to have one isolated met” “even if it were one small met I wouldn’t change the treatment plan”, “it doesn’t look nasty on the CT” “I wouldn’t advise an MRI, not to save money, but I don’t expect it to show anymore than we know now”
My bottom line is, there is always an uncertainty with this disease, everyone of us from stage 1-3 doesn’t know if it pops up again. Some people have a better prognosis than other but still find them on their death bed in a few years time. We’re not in it, individual cancers respond individually.
the only thing now is, she asked me if it is painful and I said no. My husband thinks the lesion is on C7, i can’t remember them saying that to me last week, but i assumed that’s what she was talking about tonight. I have no pain up there, but have lower back pain. Will clarify this on my next clinic app on 10/01/12.
I’m happy and thankful that CT and bone scan were (nearly) clear.
Hi Christine
I have had a similar situation I had a small lesion show up on T7, on the CT scan but not the bone scan, I had no pain, my onc and I had a similar conversation, she decided with my consent to treat it with on blast of rads which was back in July, I have just had another scan which shows healing which my onc thinks is good however there is now another small lesion on t12, so I had that treated yesterday with one shot of rads. I have had no back pain at all. My onc now wants a bone scan, I find it all confusing.
What other treatment are you having?
I am taking letrazole, biophosphates IV and have just had my ovaries removed
Take care Mandy
Hi Christine glad your scan result is reassuring… Maybe while your on your Chemo there won’t be much point in doing an MRI but perhaps you could ask for another bone scan or CT in about 6 months to see if has chnaged at all during your treatment… If it’s still the same after Chemo it’s prob even more likely to be a met but if it has shrunk then maybe you cn discuss it more at length at that time as to whether the change could be down to your chemo.
Thanks for your support re the vertebra lesion. In your latest answer you wrote " If it’s still the same after Chemo it’s prob even more likely to be a met", do you mean it’s even more likely NOT to be a met?
Mandy, interesting what you’re saying re the rads you got. In the end, I have to trust what they’re saying to me. They look at these various scan images every day and they can read them, I can’t. She said they were looking very carefully at the lesion and are pretty positive it’s not a met, but just can’t exclude it 100%. If my docs would have looked at your images maybe they would have advised rads too in your case? I hope it works out for you.
I’ll certainly will “keep an eye” on this lesion and only time will tell in the end. As I say there is a lot of uncertainty when having cancer. It doesn’t get necessarily any easier.
Mandy - i was interested in reading about you being given rads when you have no pain. My ONC said she will not give me rads until i get pain as she said they could only give rad once to an area as it is a different dose to when you get rads after chemo. I have been changed from tamoxifen to letrozole and zometa injections because i got the bone mets whilst on the tamoxifen, so it was not working for me.
Christine and lulu - my onc said that chemo doesnt have any effect on bone mets, so maybe you should ask your onc. My bone mets also didnt show up on a bone scan, they showed up on CT and MRI scans.
xx
Hi christine yes I did mean NOT to be a met… I’m not sure how effective primary Chemo is in treating bone mets as it tends to work better on microscopic cancer cells… ie killing of tiny fragments of bone mets… That’s not to say it may not shrink a met to a certain degree… But it’s not given as a first line treatment in bone mets as Mandy suggested but Chemo is sometime used where there are multiple mets in different areas so it does play a part but AIs, rads and bone strengtheners are more likely to be used but this often depends on the pathology of they primary cancer.
I have no symptoms in that area, lower back pain a bit yes, but not around C7. Lower back pain is normal for me though, never that bad that I needed painkillers or was laying flat, just the normal kind of bother some people get if standing or bending too much.