originally thought to be DCIS but post surgery biopsy result confirmed multifocal invasive carcinoma

Alex82

Hi all, I am new here and have been struggling a little with my rollercoaster of a diagnosis.  6 weeks ago I found out I had breast cancer.  4 weeks ago I had surgery to remove what was thought to be DCIS as the ultrasound, mammogram and MRI results all confirmed it was definitely a DCIS however at the same time they all picked up a suspicious lesion next to the DCIS that imaging could not determine and the surgeon advised they would remove that area during surgery also for biopsy.  The post operation biopsy came back a week later and I ended up being diagnosed with mutlifocal invasive carcinoma including Grade 2 mucinous carcinoma, Grade 2 lobular carcinoma in addition to the DCIS.  The lobular carcinoma was also found in my sentinel lymph nodes.  I am now well educated enough to know that there is a sneaky breast cancer that can go undetected that I was not aware of before.  I go every year for a routine check and if it wasn't for the DCIS this would not have been picked up that easily.

I am now in stage3, ER+ PR+ HER2 Negative.  My PET/CT Scan was clear of spread to other parts of the body however my surgeon advised given the extent of it that I undergo chemo first before I have full mastectomy and removal of lymph node surgery.  I can understand why but my mind would be at more ease if I had everything removed now.  I have seen the oncologist already and will have chemo therapy for 26 weeks starting next week.  Waiting also for confirmation of when I start chemo has not been easy for me either even though I have had several medical professionals ensure me that it wont compromise my current diagnosis and that my cancer type is not aggressive  etc.

I have came here to find out if anyone else has been in a similar situation as I am struggling to find anyone I can talk to that has been in the same boat.

AllyJay

Hi there @Alex82...sorry you've had to join the club that nobody wants to join. I was diagnosed in September 2016 with Stage 3 Grade 3, Triple Positive, multifocal and with node involvement on the left, and so called abnormal geography on the right. When I was told that I should have neoadjuvant (before surgery) chemo, then bilateral mastectomy, I too was as worried as hell. I had all these thoughts of the biopsies having stirred up the pot, by poking into them, and had visions of cancer running rampant while they delayed surgery. As a public patient, I have to admit that I thought that the surgery lists were long, and that they were just going to do the chemo first, as a sort of holding pattern. Like air traffic controllers, they were going to keep me busy circling the airport at altitude, until a runway (operating theatre) became vacant. Then my breast care nurse explained to me that particularly as I was triple positive, my cancer was very aggressive and that if just one feral cancer cell had jumped ship from the breast, and had gone walkabout elsewhere, and then set up comfortably, that would be a big problem that removing the breast(s) wouldn't solve. The chemo before surgery would sort out any cancer that might have already spread, but that was too small to show on any of the scans I'd already had. It would also shrink the tumours and when the surgery happened, the pathology would show how effective the chemo had been, and if more was needed. I had 4 X AC chemo, followed by 12 X paclitaxel and Herceptin for just under a year. I had my bilateral mastectomy mid 2017 and the pathology report stated that there were no live cancer cells found in either the removed breasts or the nodes....only the "empty tumour beds" were found. So a 100% pathological response. i'm now on letrozole and will be for at least ten years. Still NED (no evidence of disease).

arpie

Sorry to see you here, @Alex82 ..... absolutely - a BC diagnosis mucks with your brain, probably even more than your body!  Cos your mind then starts playing tricks on you too!  I hope that you're recovering well from your surgery ..... and I wish you well with your ongoing treatment. xx. Just remember that whilst every day on chemo may not be a good day - but every day will have some good in it!    I was lucky & dodged the chemo bullet - but my husband is currently on it now. 

Whack your town/city in your profile - we may have members nearby who may be able to help you out with support groups/services in your area xx

Check out this post, to understand a bit about the forum & how you can have some 'fun' here as well as get answers to the serious stuff as well ..... If you are into art or craft, or have fur kids - feel free to comment on any posts - or start your own!      https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/23477/a-big-welcome-to-all-our-new-members#latest
 
Take care & all the best xx