Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi Nicky, Please don't despair as scans aren't always accurate. I was told my 22 mm tumour had shrunk to 19mm at the end of chemo and was disappointed.Final pathology after surgery found no invasive cancer and a bit of DCIS. A lot of the lump was scar tissue. And some people respond better to taxanes. Good luck x ... View more

Hi Louise, I was borderline for radiotherapy too though my situation was different. I had ICD grade 2, 33mm tumour on scans,clear nodes. I had chemo first and just had 8mm DCIS after final pathology from my mastectomy. I was not in a clear category for needing rads but they will never know how big my tumour really was and there was evidence of lymphovascular invasion. My onc who tends to treat aggressively said she would have rads in my position for all the reasons you say. However rads also have side effects and had a significant affect on my reconstruction. Good luck with your decision ... View more

Thanks for this Belinda x ... View more

There are no guarantees with this disease! I used marigold oil and cream during rads- not recommended here but apparently in the US they do. I didn't burn and skin held up well. After chemo rads really was a breeze! Hope all goes well x ... View more

Hi gk, like you I was borderline for rads. I had complete path response after chemo and node negative before chemo. However my tumour was close to pectoral muscle and there was evidence of lymphovascular invasion. I read a lot of research and found that there seemed to be an improved survival trend for younger women (ie under 50) who have rads post mastectomy. My consultant who I know treats bc very aggressively recommended it and I felt that I needed to do everything to minimise chances of recurrence. However I understand it's an under researched and controversial issue. Good luck whatever you choose to do x ... View more

Savi-also look in the Events/ Meetups section of the Forum as it looks like there is a thread about meet ups in the Surrey/Sutton area x ... View more

Hi savi, sorry you are having such a hard time. Are you being treated at the Marsden in Sutton as they have breast cancer support groups?. I also know that the Haven in Fulham have a monthly secondary breast cancer support group.   Maggies in Charing Cross Hospital also has general cancer support groups, I go to the Younger Womens group which is wonderful and I think its saved my sanity!   Good luck and hope you find the support you need and deserve. Hugs xx ... View more

Hi fimbo Scans are not always accurate. I had an ultrasound after my 5th chemo (3 fec 3 tax) which indicated my tumour had shrunk from 22mm to 19 mm- ie not much. On the day of surgery I had a sizeable lump still but the post mast pathology showed no invasive tumour and 8 mm of dcis. I was also strongly er positive. It may be that chemo is working better than the scans indicate. Good luck with the rest of your treatment xx ... View more

Hi toni I had an immediate recon with tissue expander and strattice. I decided to have rads afterwards though I was told it wasn't strictly necessary. I think rads can affect reconstructions particularly implants however as Cressida says it can be done. I'd suggest to really look after your skin during rads. I used marigold cream as I'd read that it's recommended in the states. The other thing to say is that in my experience they like to press on with rads even if you are not totally healed-6 weeks was the max they wanted between surgery and rads. However the radiotherapy staff told me they do go up to 12weeks.. Good luck xx ... View more

Hi hippowoody I'm treated at Charing Cross in Hammersmith and they have been generally excellent. University College Hospital is in central London and has a big purpose built cancer centre-for me it looked a bit impersonal but I beleive they are a centre of excellence for some cancers such as lymphoma's. I know the Marsden is also very good-they have 2 centres in Sutton and Chelsea. They also provide all services (apart from emergency ie A and E) in the same premises which should help with continuity of care/communication between departments. Good luck ... View more

Hi lucinda- was bumping for sbrill but thanks xx ... View more

Bump xx ... View more

Hi Suzy I was in a grey area too for radiotherapy but totally agree with Lemongrove. I had chemo first and had no invasive tumour left after my mastectomy just some DCIS. I had negative lymph nodes however because there was evidence of lymphovascular invasion and the orginal size of my tumour was unclear I decided to go for rads. My Consultant who I think takes quite an aggressive approach told me that in the USA rads would be a standard treatment for a lot of us who are in the grey area in the UK. I found radiotherapy quite straightforward compared to chemo and had very few problems. I had right sided breast cancer but know that provisions are made to protect the heart and lungs by much more accurate CT planning and also breathing techniques used during the radio. Good luck x ... View more

Hi Sarah I'm another who had chemo first mainly due to the size/position of my tumour. According to my onc its very unusual for tumours to grow during chemo. In fact the treatment plan for more aggressive types of breast cancer such as inflammatory breast cancer tends to be chemo first. The advantages of chemo first is that they can see how your tumour responds and also the results may change the extent of surgery needed. Triple negative and grade 3 tumours also generally respond better than hormone positive, low/intermediate grade ones. My cancer was hormone postive/apparently grade 2 and I had a suprisingly good response to chemo and had a small amount of DCIS after my mastectomy but no invasive disease. I'm also glad I did chemo up front as it enabled me to come to terms with the surgery I needed (I still had to have a mastectomy due to the position of the tumour and the fact that I still had a lump at the end of chemo). Whatever your decision good luck. ... View more

Hi Buffy I'd echo what Helen says. I work for a Local Authority too and they have not used any time I have had off for BC related treatment in their calculations in relation to the Sickness Absence policy. In my work policy its very clear that sickness related to disability is dealt with in a different way as it is covered by the Equality Act. However my understanding is that sometimes Sickness Absence and Capability policies are used in conjunction with each other-I'm not sure that this is the case with you. I also assume that Occupational Health are involved too and wonder what their assessment is? ... View more

Hi Helen Sorry you've had to post here but you will get lots of support. I was diagnosed with ER/PR postive and Her negative breast cancer in August of last year and my son had just turned 6 when I was diagnosed-I also work in the NHS. Due to the position and possible size of my tumour (it measured very large by palpation though a lot less- 2.5cm- on scans) it was suggested that I do neoadjuvant chemo. I started 6 cycles of chemo-FEC and Docetaxol which finished just after Christmas. The chemo was ok although there were some minor drama's along the way-the most notable one being that I needed a blood transfusion after my 5th cycle (I lost weight during chemo as I found it quite hard to eat-a lot of people find the opposite!). I was still able to function and worked throughout my chemo although by the end I was only working one week in three. The September chemo thread on this site was incredibly helpful. I was also able to look after my son reasonably well although we seemed to spend a lot of time in the cinema! Which was a way of spending time with him that didn't exhaust me. The advantages of neoadjuvant chemo are that it may downsize tumours to the point where they can do breast conserving surgery and also see how well chemo works for the individual. In my case I still had to have a mastectomy (a skin sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction) as there was still a sizeable lump at the end of chemo. However strangely enough on the post mastectomy final pathology there was no residual invasive tumour found so the chemo was effective. My understanding is that neoadjuvant chemo can be particularly effective with hormone negative and/or herceptin positive tumours. You are right that the disadvantage is the psychological aspect of living with your tumour for 5 more months. For me it gave me time to come to terms with the fact that I was going to have a mastectomy. Everyone is different and I wish you the best of luck with your treatment x ... View more

I'm so shocked and sad to hear this news. Margaret was such a wonderful support to myself and others on the September chemo thread and on this forum as a whole. Bless you Margaret and sleep peacefully. ... View more

Hi Pons I know that there are secondary support groups at Maggies centre in Hammersmith and the Haven in Fulham if that's any help. The Haven being BC only. I know people meet up outside these groups too x ... View more

Hi Shaz I had chemo before surgery too. After my 5th chemo I had an ultrasound which indicated my tumour had shrunk only by 6 mm to 2cm. Unexpectedly my final pathology after mastectomy showed no invasive tumour left and a tiny bit of DCIS. I think as with mateface's experience it's not always easy to tell how chemo's working from scans. I had a mastectomy as my lump always measured more clinically than on all the scans and they didn't know how big it actually was. I had a skin sparing mastectomy and immediate recon. Good luck with the rest of your treatment ... View more

Hi Jenny I too had lymphovascular invasion-lots of people do. It means that the cancer started to invade the tiny blood and lymph vessels on a microscopic level. I've researched it extensively particularly as it scared me too. I know its not a positive thing to have -however its not an independent prognostic feature and there is no real clarity about what it means for those of us who have it apart from systemic therapy (chemo) might be indicated (for the reason Mel says above) The research is contradictory too so its not really helpful to google it. My onc and surgeon didn't say much about it and were more focussed on other issues such as clear margins etc I know its hard not to worry but please don't as it seems to me that you are getting exactly the right treatment. Best of luck xx ... View more