My cancer was a grade 3 but has not moved to lymph nodes and has not passed the sentinal nodes. I had an operation in September and have had 4 x chemo with the next on Wednesday. I will have one more to do with rads afterwards.
If it is possible, the surgeons prefer to do a lumpectomy. I asid at the time if the BC could be stopped by a mastectomy - I would rather do this and was told that it was better for me to have a lumpectomy (from a mental point of view) and having the breasts off would not improve the prognosis.
As Sophis says the waiting time for results is the worst time for all of us. The time drags and you can think of nothing else. Once a plan is in place - somehow your sister will cope. She will need your help and support and the best thing you can do is to be there and to listen if she feels she needs to cry.
Mary Grace
thank you for your kind words, it is encouraging to speak to someone who has been in the same position as myself i.e. having had a parent die of bc. You are quite right, when my mom was diagnosed none of us had a clue what type of bc it was etc etc all I knew was the last time she came out of hospital she told us they couldnt do any more.
The bcn at my sister’s hospital has said the advances in treatment during the past ten years have been phenomenal. It is hard to get out of the school of thought that it is a death sentence.
We will all support her and I am so grateful that people take the time to write on these forums.
Thank you for responding, its good to hear from someone who is in the same position as my sister ie having had the lumpectomy. I know that its human nature to think that removal of the breast would remove the problem but we trust in the consultants and oncologists, the one who dealt with my mother in law was marvellous, a true humanitarian. We will all be strong for my sister, she is showing remarkable bravery in view of her diagnosis and given our history…fingers x for Friday that her results are encouraging.
Thank you for writing, I always feel better when someone who is in the same position as my sister shares their thoughts.
I am hopeful that the bc has not spread to my sisters lymph nodes,
we will help her through her radiotherapy and chemo, if it gets rid of this disease and means our sister stops with us it will be well worth it…Good luck with your treatment…
my last tumour was a grade 3 but was still only stage 1 as it was under 2cm and no nodes were involved even though it had extensive lymphatic invasion and DCIS surrounding the tumour extending it to 2.5cm.
many grade 3 tumours tend to be treated with chemo particularly in women under 60… but this is by no means always the case… they take other things into account such as the size and whether it hormone or herceptin sensitive as well as affected nodes.
i see you are concerned about your genetic risk… as your mum and sister developed BC under the age of 60 you and your sisters and mums sisters and affected sisters daughters would be entitled to extra screening between the age 40 and 50… this would be annual mammography and breast exam… it doesnt sound like a gene mutation and they wouldnt fit the criteria for genetic testing but would be able to have further screening if they wished.
only 5% of breast cancer are genetic and a further 15% have a significant family history (ie 4 or more members of the family) but 80% are sporadic and just happen by chance even in the same family.
Well my sister had her post op results today, I haven’t got the correct terminology but she told me they removed all the cancer with clear margins and her lymph nodes are clear. The lump was 25mm grade 3, she didnt tell me the stage but I am assuming as she had no lymph node involvement and there was no spread then it would be a low one
She has to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy but will not need Herceptin or Tamoxifen. The doctors have said it is not hereditary which is a relief to us but I understand that bc occurs randomly so I am not being blase about it.
I know my sister is not out of the woods yet but the results as many of you no doubt know could have been so much worse.
Thank God for the NHS and the doctors and nurses and everyone who has been involved in treating my sister
Thank you for your support, knowing this website has existed has helped me to continue function in some sort of normality during this stressful time.
thank you Mary Grace for your kind words, my sister does consider herself fortunate to have had these results. She is more than prepared to have the chemo and radiotherapy and if it means it gets rid of any stray cells then bring it on…
Me and my other two sisters will do whatever to get her through this…she also has a good husband who has been her rock throughout this ordeal.
I pray that all the future news we have is as good…
My sister will shortly begin her chemotherapy and understandably she is very nervous. I was looking through her treatment plan and I noticed she is triple negative. I am worried as I have read that the prognosis for this type of bc is not as good as those who have had hormone therapy. I feel reassured by the fact she has clear margins and nothing in her nodes. Does anyone know what the official line is on triple negative bc
many thanks for listening…
I’m glad your sister’s cancer has not begun to spread outside the breast. Don’t worry too much about the triple negative part–if the cancer is not hormone sensitive, for example then she doesn’t have to go through an induced menopause, (do I remember she’s relatively young?) so that’s actually a good point.
She’s going to need some support in getting through chemotherapy, which is not pleasant, even though the worst side effects are relatively rare. But there will be days when she’s tired or not feeling well, and your help with everyday things will be priceless. She may need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to listen if she feels angry about everything.
Best wishes to her, you sound like a great sister.
my last tumour was triple negative… these type of tumours tend to be grade 3 and often affect younger women and can grow quickly so the news her nodes are negative is excellent.
grade 3 tumours and triple negative tumours tend to respond better to chemo that lower grade tumour and hormone positive ones, so hopefully the chemo will zapp it.
the good thing about TN bc means your sister doesnt have to put up with the effects of treatments like herceptin and tamoxifen for the next 5 years.
although chemo will be a hard slog for the next 6 months… its not nice but its better than the alternative.
That’s the biggie, as it means it’s completely restricted to the breast.
Good luck to you and your sister, and the rest of her family. Please encourage her to come on here too, we’re quite nice really and don’t bite. Well not often anyhow.
Whether you get extra screening between 40 and 50 sadly depends on where you live. According to NICE guidlines I should have had annual mammograms since my Mum got cancer in her 2nd breast in 2004, esp as a maternal Aunt died of bc in her late 30’s. I was told it wasn’t available for me yet my twin sister (who obviously has an identical family history!)has had annual screening. I can’t help but wonder if my bc would have been caught earlier and am feeling angry about it at the moment.
x
many thanks for your replies, they have put things in a better perspective for me as I wasn’t looking at it in terms of my sister not having to endure hormone therapy
CM I am glad you agree that its good news re the negative node result thats what I thought…I wish my sister would join the forum but she is not comfortable with that she is quite a private person.
Cheryl, my sister is relatively young, 56yrs old and the consultant has said she will have the genetic test for the bc gene which she is happy to have.
I am so glad that this forum exists for those who suffer from bc and their relatives
xxx
I am triple negative and for me the best part of that dx is that,although it tends to be more aggressive in the early years, if you can get to 8 years post dx without a recurrence then it is unlikely to recur at all.Also tnbc usually responds well to chemo eand the fact that there are no nodes involved is really excellent news.
Thank you for your comments, again I feel more reassured and as stated in the other comments at least my sister won’t have to endure the side effects of hormone therapy.
I have spoken to my sister today and passed on the positive comments and she is most grateful, she doesnt feel ready to join the forum but is happy for me to do it on her behalf.