Hi,
I was diagnosed with Grade 2 ER and PR positive HER2 negative invasive ductal carcinoma in Nov 21 aged 48. I had lumpectomy followed by 9 sessions of radiotherapy and take Tamoxifen. My Oncotype DX score was 13. I had my third mammogram on 31.12.24 and have had a phone call from the BCN to tell me they can see something on my mammogram on the same breast as before and I need further investigation. I have a stereotactic core biopsy on Thursday (23/1). I am trying to stay positive but how could it be cancer again if my margins were clear, I had radiotherapy, take Tamoxifen and my Oncotype DX score was 13?
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Cancer is a baffling disease and it can be that the treatments do not kill a stray cell that continues to divide without stopping. Most cells die eventually to be replaced by fresh ones. cancerous ones go on dividing. No cancer treatment works 100%. I have had cancer return after 19 years after having partial mastectomy surgery and radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is meant to mop up stray cells. The new cancer is grade 2 and a different type to last time. Years ago I was diagnosed with atypical hyperplasia and then with DCIS. As far as I can tell these are indications of cell instability. I also had sclerosing adenosis which means hardening of parts of the breast tissue I think. Some of the breast people don’t want to frighten you, others treat you like an idiot and try to bully you into surgery. Others say a procedure does not hurt when it does. That is why I try and find out as much as I can, but the truth is breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women and by the time you are 50 or over you have a 1 in 25 chance of getting it if you are a woman. Rates double every ten years so at 60 it’s 1 in 12/12.
Lots of older women who are diagnosed with it at 90 and over have minimal treatment because they are likely to have heart disease as well by then, and other diseases of old age affecting bone strength. I am 70 this year and I think it’s highly likely I will eventually die of heart problems but breast cancer treatment should help me there. Breast cancer treatment has given me high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
I intend to rock and roll on despite side effects of oestrogen blockers which mean I have a lot of pain in my joints now as well (after 30 months of letrozole). All oestrogen blockers cause this I believe as oestrogen is good for strong bones and lack of oestrogen weakens them!
The history of breast cancer treatment includes barbaric periods in the 19th and 20th centuries and the most successful treatment is the same - surgery to remove as much of the breast cancer as possible to leave clear margins. That didn’t work for me though! i was apparently cancer free for 19 years but something was going on in my cell chemistry. I had a different kind of breast cancer this time so it does not seem to be a recurrence but a new cell abnormality of quite recent development.
My mother was a genetics scientist and she’s very much alive at 97 with Alzheimer’s and a titanium hip and shoulder in a single room in a care home. She doesn’t seem to get any NHS funding as she’s clearly as fit as a fiddle
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Hi Ruthieh
Sorry to hear you’re going through this again. If this turns out to be cancer, if it’s different in type to the last one, maybe it’s a new cancer which has appeared, in the same way as your first one appeared. So hard to know. Thoughts going out to you anyway, I’ve just had a biopsy this morning having had double lumpectomy and radio 2 years ago!
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