smear test

Hi guys

hope you all well

was just wondering, my smear every 3 years,
diaganosed may 2006 BC, nodes all clear had lumpectomy, chemo tact trials and rads finished treatment end of jan 2007.
First smear since all that was jan 2008 and since then got abnormal result march to the hospital took another smear and then check via camera and had laser treatment there and then, got results of what they laser off and said had it not been treated it would have turned into cancer, then said we will see you again at the hospital in 6 months.
Sept 2008 ( 6 months app) had smear and he had a look again and said looks ok get results 6 - 8 weeks, saturday got letter from GP nurse she wants to see me. Rang the docs cant see her till 2nd Nov 2008. On Sunday day after i got the letter i came on a heavy period even though i finished my period 2 weeks ago???
made apointment to see doc other day she said are you stressed…lol who isnt she put it down to stress then said if continues 2 more days come back.
Then said your results were borderline? so the hospital will see you again in 6 months

once you have had cancer does that mean you now get it else where?
any one else going or gone through somehting similar

take care
simxx

I had an abnormal smear a few years ago and had a benign cervical polyp removed and was monitored regularly until I went back onto the 3 year smear programme. Fortunately I didn’t have any cancerous/pre-cancerous cells on my smears though. This year I had breast surgery for DCIS. Makes you wonder whether there is a connection between the two areas, perhaps because of hormones?

I would also be very interested in knowing whether others with either DCIS or invasive breast cancers have had abnormal smears.

sim - it sounds a bit poor that your GP nurse wants to see you but can’t see you until 2nd November given your medical history.I hope that’s a good sign that nothing serious is lurking rather than the NHS being inefficient!

Dear Sim
before i was diagnosed with breast cancer i had abnormal smear back in 1990 and had laser treatment,all well until 2001 when abnormal cells detected again so had laser again.Specialist told me that i would definately have gone onto get cancer if i hadnt had it sorted. He told me i must have a smear every year which is easier said than done as because i’ve had 2 laser procedures and a tilting cervix it causes great difficulty resulting the last time in a temporary prolapse.

I have to admit i didnt worry then so much because we have no cancer in our family i didnt really think it would happen,happy days when i was in such ignorant bliss! However after being diagnosed with bc this year i am no longer under that happy delusion and there are days when i think where else will it pop up.

My next area of worry for me will be ovaries as its the silent killer and i think after all this i will get mine checked out even if it means going private.

Hope this has helped a little and wishing you the best outcome

Take care Tracey

Hi all, I had laser treatment for precancerous cells back in 1988 when I was 27. At the time the stats were that 25% of women would go on to develop cancer, but it was difficult to tell which ones; however, the gynaecologist I was treated by said in my case they knew if it wasn’t treated it would have been cancer by the Christmas of that year (I had the laser treatment in the August).

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2006 after a routine procedure to remove a fibroid revealed a hidden tumour that had not been detected by any of the tests. This was followed by a further surgery to remove my lymph nodes. The cancer was in 1 out of 22 and I was also Her2+.

I asked my surgeon if there was any connection between what happened in my 20s and being diagnosed with breast cancer. He told me absolutely not. I have always made sure I have had regular smear tests since 1988 and have never had any further problems with that side of things. Back in May I was referred to a menopause specialist and discussed all this with her. She told me the same thing, no connection. As I had no hormone involvement in my BC the oncologists and the menopause specialist told me they would be prepared to put me on HRT to sort out my symptoms, but it wasn’t necessary. I use a topical oestrogen pessary twice a week and have been told to cut it down to once when I get my next prescription then to cut it out entirely for a while. I should be able to stop using it next year they think.

I had abnormal smears 3 years ago and was treated with Loop Diathermy and all have been normal since. Like Suzanne, I also had a benign cervical polyp which was actually discovered and removed just one week before I was diagnosed with bc. Makes you wonder how much hormone changes play a part in all this, who knows. Hope they get it all sorted out for you Sim.

Tracey xx

I too have had abnormal smears since the bc and had Loop Diathermy last year. Had ovaries removed last year, so one less thing to worry about!

I’ve just had a pelvic ultrasound as I;ve been on Tamoxifen for 3 years and i wanted to check all was well with uterus lining.

Also had a smear, which was OK, had one in March this year too.

Tracey, i think you may be right and its the hormones! not that I;ve got many left now :slight_smile:

Grace x

Ive got breast cancer and never been for a smear. Im 29. Why dont then automatically do one when they do all the other tests or can they tell just from the scans you have to check the cancer isnt anywhere else? If not then I really need to have a smear asap.

Hi Emelf

You should definitely have a smear. The smear test is looking for subtle changes in the cells of the cervix. By the time a scan would pick it up during one for BC, it would be full blown cancer. It is common to get an abnormal smear. It doesnt mean at all that you have cancer, just that the cells are looking a bit odd and they can be treated before it gets to cancer. I don’t think there is any connection between BC and cervical cancer, however, when you are immunosuppressed you are probably more vulnerable to cell changes because the normal “mopping up” of dodgy cells is not as efficient.

Thanks! Will be going to get one next week.