I am visiting family overseas and felt a lump. I went for a mammogram and biopsy whilst still on holiday. These showed a malignancy, actually two tiny ones. I immediately consulted a local breast surgeon and booked my return to the UK this weekend.
But when I spoke to the local breast surgeon to go over the test results today, I got very confused. She told me that the results suggest that I have a very small tumour that may not even need chemo after the lumpectomy. When I told her I was planning to come back to the UK for treatment, she said it was a good idea, but that if it takes a month or so to get into treatment there’s a risk of tipping into needing chemo after all.
I know the local quality of care is going to be excellent and affordable, so I’m not worried about that, but I would rather be in the NHS. I know that to get into the NHS system I would need to go to my GP, get referred to a breast clinic and repeat all the tests and procedures, and then get a treatment plan. All this means it could be a month at best before treatment begins. While, here, I can be treated almost immediately since the tests are already done and I’m registered with the breast surgeon.
I’m really confused about how to weigh the risks. Is there any way of evaluating the likelihood of the tumour growing in the next month? Or is there a way to speed things up in the NHS if, by doing so I might avoid needing chemo? Is it even worth trying to avoid chemo in terms of the longer term prognosis (i.e. aside from a few months of discomfort) ?
I recognise that the final decision is mine, but any information that would help me come to one would be really helpful. I’m lucky to be healthy and fit, and I’ve never had any serious illness, so this feels very unfamiliar and abstract. Thanks for any thoughts on this.
