I’m wanting to hear some positive stories about other people who were diagnosed oliogmetastatic. I have grade 3 hormone receptive breast cancer, it’s in five nodes and a ‘hotspot’ on my breastbone. I’m only 41 and with two young children. They say they are treating me curatively but there’s no guarantees however they are hoping the hotspot will disappear during treatment. People keep telling me positive stories but they all seem to be limited to breast and lymph nodes. I can’t help but feel doomed as I haven’t yet been able to speak to anyone who has oligometastatic spread……!
Hi there.
I have grade 3 TNBC and was found to have a single liver met, no lymph node involvement, before I had finished primary treatment. I later developed a second liver met. I have been successfully treated and have been in remission for 18 months. Treatment was a combination of Pembrolizumab, NAB-Paclitaxel and ablation.
I appreciate this is a different type of bc and therefore my treatment pathway would not apply to you, but hopefully it gives hope. I am not on treatment, just scan and blood surveillance.
Hi @mrshmbucks
Thank you for posting. It sounds like a difficult time for you at the moment. You may find it helpful to call our helpline to talk through how you are feeling, we often find we can help people more by talking on the phone.
Being diagnosed with oligometastatic breast cancer, where cancer cells have spread to just 1 area away from the breast and lymph nodes, can feel overwhelming and it’s understandable that you’d like to speak to others who have had a similar experience.
You say that your treatment team are treating you with curative intent. Do talk to your breast care nurse or treatment team about how you’re feeling. They may be able to put you in touch with others in a similar situation, or let you know if there are any local support groups available.
Finding support can be difficult when you feel you don’t ‘fit’ within a primary or secondary breast cancer diagnosis. We hear from others who feel like this, so you’re not alone in finding it hard to reach others with a similar experience. You can search in this section of the forum, where there are others who have posted about oligometastatic breast cancer.
There is also a closed Facebook group (not linked with Breast Cancer Now) for people with oligometastatic breast cancer, as mentioned in one of the forum threads linked above.
We offer a range of free supportive services for anyone affected by breast cancer. You may find our younger women with secondaries together online support helpful. However, many of those attending will have more widespread secondary breast cancer (that is not oligometastatic) and are not being treated with curative intent. You’ll see from the registration form in the link that you can ask to have a support call with a counsellor to see if this group would be suitable for you, and if you’re likely to meet others in a similar situation. You can also speak to the services team on 0345 077 1893 to see which services may be best suited for you.
You may find our information about talking to children about cancer helpful to read, as you have 2 young children. The organisation The Fruitfly Collective also have lots of resources for parents. You can find out more on their website, or you can watch our Facebook Live session.
The organisation Future Dreams also offer a variety of support for people with breast cancer, both in person and online.
As mentioned above, do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to additional support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks.
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Best wishes
Cassie
Breast Care Nurse
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