my mum was diagnosed with bc - tumor around 3cms between breasts, i think almost on the bone. She was then told she had ‘hot spots’ on spine and pelvis. Started on femara and has now been told tumor is now only a thickening so appears to be working?. Bone mets treated with radiotherapy and bisphosphonates. Just wondered if any one else has experience of similiar diagnosis? Initial mamogram was clear. They seem to classify it as bc though although not directly in tissue? Im a bit confused.
If you are feeling confused about your Mums diagnosis and would like to talk through your concerns please give the BCC helpline a call. Here you are able to talk in confidence to a trained member of staff who will offer you a listening ear as well as support and advice if required. The number is free phone 0808 800 6000 and the line is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturdays 9am to 2pm.
In some ways I had a similar dx of secondaries. I had a routine mammo which showed a recurrence in my breast near my primary dx. After CT scans and bone scans secondaries were shown in my hip and spine. I’ve just finished chemo (something I chose to have) and now onto femara and bisphosphonates. This would have been my main line of treatment if I hadn’t had chemo 1st. I’ve read great reports from others on here about the effectiveness of these treatments and it sounds like they are working well for your Mum, long may it continue. I hope to show similar results when I am next scanned in 3 months time. Secondary BC can show up at the same time as primary dx and the oncs seem to treat the secondary as the main cause for concern (as I think they should ) and tailor the treatment to that. The primary should respond favorably to the same treatment, hence the changes to your Mum’s initial lump, I would imagine.
Hope all goes well and do post again if you have any questions.
Like your mum, I was diagnosed with BC and secondaries (bone and liver) at the same time. They have put me on Femara without doing any op or chemo, and like your mum, I had radiotherapy to the spine. The radiotherapy has been brilliant, and I am almost out of pain in my back now. Took about two weeks to have an effect. I’ve been on the Femara six weeks, and the side effects are not too bad - and I hear good reports from others, so hope your mum soon starts to respond even better. Kind regards
Kitty and “mumdiagnosed” - I’m another who never had breast surgery or chemo - dx with multiple bone mets 3 weeks after primary. Am on Femara and bisphosphonates… dx was over two years ago now, and latest bone scan showed slight improvement in some areas. I’m 59 by the way.
Just to say I was on on femara for 20 months and had no side effects and did extremely well, just changed my drugs due to tumour markers rising, but on femara I lived my life perfrectly normally, bone mets and left lung and primary site. Hope I can find something equally as effective.