Breast Cancer Now Forum

spot on boarder collie I do think your genetic make-up determines whether or not we develop cancer. There are so many people including those in the medical profession who dole out advice on diet etc.l, too thin, too fat, the list goes on. Please remember that there are so many women out there who do eat healthy, they exercise, and do not do drugs or alcholol and by all accounts should never be at risk of developing breast cancer yet they still do. Please don't beat yourself up. If breast cancer is going to return, it will, regardless of the lifestyle you lead. ... View more

Hi I was diagnosed in 2008 (almost 5 years) with tnbc - 7.7mm tumour (small less than 1 cm) no nodes or vascular invation grade 2. I was aged 55 at diagnoses, I am now 60, had wle and rads (can't remember how many). I was never offered chemo as this was considered over treatment by my onc. You can imagine how scared I feel when I read on here that nearly all tnbc have been offered chemo to maximise there life expectancy. However, regardless of treatment, you can never take this disease for granted, no matter how many years you survive. I remember reading recently that a lady had survided 20 years with no evidence of secondary disease, but it still came back. I must admit, I have read the secondary site several times, only because I have to be realistic as breast cancer can never be considered a curable disease and maybe one day my cancer will return, as so many do. Five years on, you may wonder why I am not putting out the flags or having some sort of celebration, but the only thing I ask my self daily as I am sure every women on this site has asked, Why did I get it in the first place. I just hope that one day our daughters and granddaughters will be able to say, Remember when women use to die of breast cancer. Sorry if this sounds like a rant. ... View more

Hi Catherine I am sure that somebody on here in recent months has talked about her experience with ciber knife surgery to the brain. This is supposed to be a very effective treatment for brain mets. Unfortunately I cannot remember her name, but i remeber signing a petition in support for this type of treatment. hugs xx ... View more

hi nonny Congrats, all breast cancers are the pits, but it is good to hear a another tnbc coming through. xxxx ... View more

Hi I was diagnosed with breast tumour 7.5 mm (less than one centimetre) grade 2. Triple Negative No node or vascular invasion in 2008. I Was only offered wide local exision with rads. Chemo was not offered. when I asked why, onc said that it would be considered over treatment. They took the size etc., into account. Almost four years down the line, I should be rejoycing but the fear of it returning never leaves my mind. I have heard how sneaky this disase is, As I said regardless of size, an invasive breast cancer still has the ability to spread. It really is a sh....t disease. ... View more

Hi IBC is what it is Even if treated early with no lymph node involvement etc., it still has the capability to spread to other organs. Many years later in some cases. I am not sure what you mean by other breast cancers! ... View more

hi your responses are starting to make me laugh which is a good thing, this cancer journey sucks, yet so many people know so little about it. Nothing like a little bit of home spun philosophy. What I am going to say next may get me into trouble but what the hell. I was once told that opinions are like A...holes, everybody has one. cheers ... View more

Hi I do not come on here often but I was talking about this to my oh yesterday. When it comes to breast cancer there is no such thing as the 'all clear'. Yet I have come across this coment time and time again. If only there was such a thing as the 'all clear' I read somewhere that breast cancer is one of the few cancers that you can never say never. I have read recently on this forum that some lady was diagnosed in the early 1980's with early breast cancer and it resurfaced as secondary disease in 2011, almost 30 years later. Breast cancer is not only a crap disease, it is a very sneaky disease. I don't regard any of us as brave, we did not ask for this disease. Jo and Jane public can be excused for their ignorance on this subject, but some members of the medical profession should know better. ... View more

Hi Can I ask if your bc diagnosis was ER positive, if not then I can only assume that you are triple negative which means that your bc would not respond to the hormone drugs or to herceptin which is given to women who have the Her2 type of bc. If this is the case then it is true that there are less treatment options for tnbc. However, I have heard that tnbc responds well to chemo. But bc in any form is a pretty sh....ty disease and I think we all know that on here. cheers ... View more

Thank you so much ladies for your support, it means a great deal to me. When I read my post back after sending it I felt as though I was just thinking of me..me..me when there are so many of us on this thread who have gone through so much just living with bc.. Feel a bit better today. Seen my onc this aftenoon, he stressed that the pain I described in my lower back was definately not cancer related, but I must say I am losing confidence in him. To cut a long story short, he sent me for a ct scan in April on my upper body despite me teling him the pain is in my lower back. Still have the pain but only when I am up and about and especially after walking. The pain appears to be in my sacro-joint, which I understand is where bc does go to. Anyway, I have decided to wait until after xmas (if I am still hear) and I am going to make the most of it, I will then ask my gp for a referral to another oncologist, I will go private if necessary. My very best wishes and hugs to you all. xx ... View more

This weekend has to be the worst since being diagnosed with early breast cancer in August 2008 as I am convinced that the cancer has returned and that I have now entered the secondary stage of this disease. Prognosis was good at the time, small tumour less than 1cm grade 2 no lymph or vascular invasion, however it was triple negative. Treatment wle and radiotherapy. Chemo was considered to be overtreatment by my onc. In March this year I had low back pain which did settle after a few weeks, nevertheless onc arranged a ct scan of pelvic area. Results were clear. However, since june this year a new pain occured on the right side of sacro- joint near my bum, it hurts when I am walking and very painful on movement. I have an apppointment tomorrow with onc and I am fairly certain he will arrange tests etc., If the cancer has returned then this will be a blow for sure, but I can't help feeling angry at my onc as he new it was tnbc but did not treat it systemically. I am fully aware that breast cancer is very unpredictable, but I believe he should have given me the best possible chance to achieve a longer disease free period. I cannot stop crying and absolutely dread the outcome of any tests that are carried out. I have discussed this over the weekend with my husband and I have decided that I do not want any treatment that will keep me alive, I only want pain relief. I do not want cancer to end my life, I just wish there was another way out. ... View more

Hi lucinda I am sorry if I appeared aged focused in my comments. I am aware that younger women can develop this dreadful disease. As you say, we should all have access to a more reliable form of screening. Mammos do appear to be more and more outdated. I can't believe I am now saying this, but mammos will only pick up more and more cancers. Their use is proving to be very limited.. Take Care ... View more

Hi I attended a conference last April called 'Breast Cancer in Perspective'. After beig diagnosed in August 08 with BC, I read nearly everything there is to know about bc. I remember being furious with Prof. and his remarks about mammogrammes and how many in the medical profession are now starting to question the value of mammogrammes. I was a strong advocate of mammos and felt thgat every woman over the age of 50 years, should have yearly screening, but after listening to Prof I started to question my own views on them. I have learnt that Mammos cannot save lives; they occasionally miss cancerous lumps; regular mammos do not prevent breast cancer; they increase axiety amongst women, I could go on and on. However, the only time a mammo can be of any use is when and if it picks up the pre-cancerous condition called dcis. I understand that this stage of the disease Stage 0 is 100% curable. Unfortunately, mammos don't always pick this up. So I am no longer an advocate of this particular screening tool for breast cancer. I think money would be better spent on developing research that can detect those women who may be at risk, by this I mean all women and not just those who have a family history. ... View more

I will always wonder if I made the right decision. Diag aged 55 with tnbc grade 2 stage 1 Tumour less than one centimetre no node or vasc invastion. I was told that all things are taken taken into account in treatment programme, I was advised by onc that percentage difference in a 10 year survival was less than 2% if offered chemo. I was not actually offered chemo (they said I can have it if I wanted it) so at the time I opted to take onc advice and have rads only. I was actually releived at not having chemo, but since reading all the blurb on triple negative, I will always be thinking what if? I now have symptoms which are a bit worrying and if it turns out to be secondary disease, this will mean I will have only had 2 & half years disease free period. I would therefore feel as though I had not been given the max opportunity of surviving 10 years by my medical team. A am now feeling a little bit p....off to say the least. ... View more

Too Right they do. Whenever I start to think of things such as alcohol diet etc., and how the media quickly latch onto such things when trying to explain away how women in the western world develop cancer, I alway think of Linda McCartney, Slim, healthy lifestyle diet etc., also being one of the wealthiest wommen with access to excellent healthcare. All this did not prevent her from developing breast cancer. Also, when I was diagnosed almost 2 & half years ago, I had to attend radiotherpy sessions over a two month period, not one of the women waiting in the clinic were overweight, I would describe them as thin or very slim. With this evidence I would say that the myth pedalled by the media can be blown right out of the water. cheers ... View more

Hi Sallyspoons Can I ask if you are being treated at clatterbridge and who is your onc? cheers ... View more

PS Excellent response lemongrove. ... View more

HI Aged 55 I was diagnosed with a triple negative tumour grade 2 less than one centimetre No node or vascular etc., TNBC tends to be very aggressive and regardless of size chemo is nearly always recommended. However, the team treating me advised that chemo would be overtreating so I only had radio after a wle. There are no additional therapies for tnbc. Almost three years on and I feel in a very sh...ty place thinking any day now I will get a secondary diagnosis. Nonetheless, I do have a little comfort knowing that I had radio after surgery. I personally did not have any side effects after radio, I think I fear the dentist more. ... View more