Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Stargate re your message.  Yes I was taking a Chemo tablet but it hasn’t worked so jus have the injection in my arm for the bones, results from last MRI were not good more Tumoursin my Thorax, Oncologist has recommended Chemo on the drip and has given me 6 weeks to come to a decision 😩 can’t make up my mind I am 77 now and feel that my body won’t take it, anyway I just keep going like we all do on here. Good luck ... View more

Thank you Jools, I really appreciate that.  Kat 😊 ... View more

Hi Maggie I just wanted to let you know that the same thing happened to me. I was strongly Oestrogen sensitive and then went to triple neg. That was two years ago and I'm doing well on treatment so far. x ... View more

I too have muscle and joint pain.  Have you ever suffered from constipation as well? I seem to have upset stomach and some gassiness as well. I started letrozole in April 2020 so haven't been on it long.  Hopefully, it improves soon. ... View more

How is everyone doing? I'm feeling so down, as I do most of the time, also, I just have this fatigue for the last few weeks. Last time I was in for my injections they said they'd have a chat with doct, but no one got back to me.  .I'm due in again nxt week, and am going to make sure I get to talk to someone.      ... View more

Hi I had breast cancer diagnosed 2009. I had a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, followed by radiatherapy and arimadex which I took or longerthan the recommended 5 years. I took it or 8 years. I was diagnosed with a muscular dystrophy in 2016. Since christmas I was experiencing difficulty swallowing and vommiting thus lossing masses of weight which I attributed to the muscular dystrophy. I was refered for numerous investigations, unfortunately some cancelled due to coronovirus, however I was sent to our local hospital with a suspected pulmonary embolism and a CT scan done, I was sent straight to a breast surgeon and had biopsies. when reviewed, I hasten to add had to attend alone due to the coronovirus and restrictions. I was informed my cancer had returned and spread to my lungs and bones and surgery not an option. It was a shock. On the brighter side I was refered to oncolocy and seen within a week. I'm now on Letrazole and Palbociclib. My CT scan done 2 weeks ago indicates it is efective as has improved. I'm less short of breath and eating better, an improvement from liquidised diet, I'll be having Denosumab injection next week. Although I've been told my cancer is incurable, ther is hope that I'll have many years and fulfill many of my ambitions and live my life each day as it comes to the full. ... View more

I think that’s absolutely bloody marvellous that your lesions have disappeared . You just keep going on your current regime. X ... View more

Hi Walsh  A liver biopsy is done to see if the receptor status of the lesions in the liver are the same as the original (primary) BC. It is always assumed (by most oncologists in my experience) that it will be the same and therefore your treatment for SBC is based on the receptors found on your primary - where a biopsy has usually been done as a breast lump is relatively easy to take a biopsy from. However in some cases (about 18-30% depending on which figures/research you look at) the receptor status has changed and therefore treatment will be different. This has happened to ladies on here and I even had a period of time where, after a liver biopsy was done, it was decided I was HER2+, having been HER2- for about 5 years. As it was it turned out I was only weakly HER2+ therefore didn’t benefit from Herceptin. Some ladies receptors change from hormone positive to triple negative which would mean a continued treatment of hormonals would not be effective. It is not standard for this procedure to be done, it’s generally at the request of the patient (in my case) or if your oncologist thinks it should be done, say if you’re not responding to certain treatments in the way they would expect, or if a drugs trial stipulates you have to have one done (as has been mentioned). It also isn’t possible to perform a liver biopsy on everyone as the lesions have to be a certain size to get a sample and in a safe and accessible position within the liver - which is loaded with blood vessels and each procedure carries the risk of bleeding. Whether you can have one done or not also relies on your particular hospital having the skilled staff and equipment to carry one out. I was lucky that my local hospital does a lot of liver surgery and is well known around the country as an expert centre so they are used to carrying them out. I have also had liver surgery to remove a particularly resistant lesion last year but only because of the fact that the hospital is a leading one for this type of surgery. Hope that helps answer your question. Nicky x ... View more

I am starting this in the next week or two was diagnosed 7 weeks ago with secondaries & will be my 3rd chemo since diagnosis in July 2017 and now for being triple negative. Only go she’s treatment in May. Anyone had to cold cap for this and what’s the side effects been? X ... View more

Hi Jodie, may I ask what treatments you have had. My mom has secondary bone cancer and brain mets. She was diagnosed in December.  She had WBR and a course of chemo. They said they wouldn’t scan her brain again but have now decided they will 6 months post WBR. X ... View more

Had appointment with oncologist today and he said irosustat trial didnt get off the ground due to funding. 😥 I'm being given palbociclib letrezole and demasomub....apologies for spelling! He says new drugs and treatments becoming available all the time so fingers crossed.  ... View more

How sad to hear about Bon, such a lovely, helpful member of our online support group. May she rest in peace.  My condolences to her family and friends and thank you FF for letting us know. Nicky xx ... View more

Hello, i also have lung metastices.  My breast cancer was not discovered until it had already spread to  liver and lung.  Unfortunately the primary does not show on any type of scan as it is hiding behind my nipple I only found it by accident and my first consultant never could feel it as normal breast palpating misses it. Fortunately the specialist nurse and surgeon found it so I was able to have a biopsy.  MRI showed the spread and I was started on Anastrazole, when that stopped working I was put onto Tamoxifen which worked for a year only, then onto Exemestane.  In April this year one of the lung squatters doubled in size so it was all change again.  I am now on Fulvestrant injections in my buttocks and Abemaciclib targeted chemo pills.  I am very lucky to be on the Abemaciclib because although it is available via the National Cancer Fund for some reason I don’t qualify but Nottingham still had it on extended access until two days after my visit. I have a two hour journey to Nottingham every month to have my see the consultant, jabs and collect my pills, I have blood tests at my GP and take the results with me.  I go to Nottingham although I live north of Lincoln because I wanted to go to a centre of excellence, I would not be on my present treatment had I gone to Lincoln.  They have given me 5 years for which I am grateful and hope to have a couple more.  I thank God for the NHS  and Eli Lily who provide the Abemaciclib foc  as the treatment I am on at present costs thousands of pounds a month.  I continue to be active, walking my dogs and playing with my ukulele band.  The Abemaciclib does have some nasty gastro intestinal side effects but I am learning to control them.  There is life after diagnoses, maybe not as long as without the squatters but I have no complaints. ... View more

Bumping up for Jule65 ... View more