Hi there lovely ladies, I have just finished all my treatment, yay!!! 6rounds of chemo and 6 weeks of R/T. I was feeling really great that it was all behind me and excited to move on in life. However I only just found out last week that my cancer was a grade 3. I suppose ignorance is bliss, but It really freaked me out as I did a little research and discovered this is an aggressive form of cancer. I'm starting to get all stressed out again, does this type of grade make the chance of it coming back higher?? I was diagnosed with early breast cancer but now the grade has me really worried. Would love to hear from any other ladies with grade 3, or if anyone could offer any advice. Thank you so much :-)))))

Finishing treatment is often a time when we finally get to really process what we have been through and what our diagnosis really means. The Grade of cancer is just one aspect of the pathology that our doctors consider when deciding what treatment to recommend. Yes Grade 3 is more aggressive, this means that it grows more quickly than a grade 1 or 2. But there are many factors to consider when attempting to predict the likelihood of recurrence for any individual. If you want to know the statistics for people with a similar cancer diagnosis your doctor can provide this. However if you have completed all your treatment, knowing the statistics is not going to do anything to stop the cancer returning. I did ask my oncologist for the relevant statistics for my cancer diagnosis and I use this knowledge as incentive to live well. I try to minimize stress, eat well, don't drink alcohol, maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly. These are things I know will help me stay healthy and minimize a recurrence. Just remember the majority of women diagnosed these days go on to live long healthy cancer free lives. Enjoying life actually helps your body to stay healthy! Take care. Deanne xxx

After my core biopsy (and before surgery) I was told that my tumor was mucinous and that this meant it was not very aggressive and that I would probably not need chemo. I googled mucinous breast cancer of course and the limited information I found confirmed that mucinous tumors were slow growing and rarely spread elsewhere in the body. I was shocked and scared to learn I had cancer of course but I thought I was lucky also to have developed this rare, non-aggressive form. So it was quite a blow when after my lumpectomy I was told that my tumor was in fact grade 3 and that I would defininitely need chemo. My oncologist never really explained how it could be mucinous and non-aggressive but at the same time grade 3 and aggressive. But clearly the grade 3 classification was more important than the mucinous classification. Two years on, the way I look at it is I've done everything I can to rid my body of the cancer - surgery, chemo, radiation & now tamoxifen. My oncologist tells me that after all my treatment and as long as I continue taking the tamoxifen, my chances of a recurrance are about 12% or about 1 in 8 - which is the same chance the average woman has of developing breast cancer in the first place. So now all I can do is live the healthiest life possible to hopefully reduce that 12% even further. I exercise regularly, watch my weight, hardly ever drink alcohol and eat a healthy diet - lots of wholegrains, fruits and veg. But you do have to enjoy life too so I'm not totally fanatical about it. I think Deanne is right and that even with a grade 3 diagnosis if the cancer has been caught early and we look after ourselves we have an excellent chance of living long healthy lives. Hope that helps a little.

after my lumpectomy the pathologist hade my tumour graded as a grade 2. I had great results - clear margin, not in the lymphnodes and HER2 negative BUT my Ki 67 was HIGH. this meant to my oncologist that my tumour was performing as a grade 3 and had been growing quickly. Which has meant as a preventative measure I am now on a course of chemo for 4 doses, one every 21 days. I guess the dice has rolled and as long as you have done all that you can do then thats all you can do. and as the other lovely ladies advise - keep as fit and healthy as you can. Its all we can do. Marg xx

Grade 3 breast cancer | BCNA Online Network

22 Replies

MsD
Member
12 years ago
Hi Maria,

Well done, first chemo under your belt! I'm like you always very fit and active, I am 47 and the 6 months thing freaked me out also. But the way I looked at it was... well 6 months out of my life... to get my life back is nothing in the scheme of things. Now I am back walking every day when I can ,bike riding and running after my four year old daughter. I think being fit helped me as I recovered really well, I still feel tired some days but I just walk a little slower!! Just look after yourself, cry if you feel like it, it's good to get it out. Oneday this will just be another chapter in your book of life. It will make you look at life differently, in fact I cherish everyday and don't sweat the small things anymore. Your future will be positive and full, this is your time now to heal, so be easy on yourself, you will get there. Luv MissD xoxoxxo Oh p.s. the lashes I used were 1000 hour false eyelashes. (priceline, bigW, safeway) :-)))
Maria_G
Member
12 years ago
Hey just read this post Ms D, just wondering what style of lashes you used, did you have a fav?
MsD
Member
12 years ago
Hi Maria, haven't had a chance to reply to your post until today. Like all of us the first few weeks/ months can all be a bit of a blur and full of fear, and we start to imagine all sorts of things. However time, and as your treatment progresses things will get easier. I have since spoken to Onc. about cancer grade, (3) it is only one part of the package with breast cancer and apparently responds 'really' well to chemo. As my surgeon said breast cancer is treatable and most women survive, if anything she said it is going to be an inconvience! So you just have to try and take a step at a time, that's what I did, and as each step finished I just tried to make it through to the next one. I had 6 rounds of chemo 3 fec and 3 dox, and 5 weeks of radiotherapy. At the begining I thought it seemed like an eternity way, but it actually went fast and here I am all finished and looking forward to living my life. Ask your doctors any fears or questions you may have, they are there to support and guide you. I was afraid of chemo but once I started I just said to myself, this is my medicine to make me better and that helped. You will get there, your arm is a bump on the road, and it's great news your cancer doesn't seem to have spread and contained to your breast, so that's a good thing. If you ever need to talk we are always here. Sending you lots of hugs. xxxx
Maria_G
Member
12 years ago
Hey Deanne,

thanks for all the advice. Have an appointment tomorrow for some laser therapy again. It hasn't been good this weekend. The other thing is the breast was almost completely full of cancer 8 cm of DCIS, + 5 invasive tumours. Pathology report says the nodes taken were negative, thank goodness for that, let's hope they still are. I'm totally freaking out. My doctors have told me this is curable, God I hope it is!! All I can think is how am I going to make it through this & live a productive life.

Maria xx
Deanne
Member
12 years ago
You will hear it said a lot on here (but that is because it really does help you through), just take it one step at a time. This is a marathon not a sprint but you do get little recovery breaks along the way. You will not feel bad all the time and there will be times when you feel ok, maybe even good! I had massage, laser and taping (using sports tape) for excess fluid on my chest after my mastectomy. This went on for a couple of months until things settled. All was good and I thought I had a low risk of having any more trouble (only 8 nodes removed) until a few weeks ago when my arm and fingers had some swelling develop. I have treated this with massage, compression sleeve and exercise (water aerobics is VERY good for lymphedema control). I am now about to have a week of intensive treatment (at a Lympedema Clinic at Icon Cancer Care in Chermside, Qld) and am told that if I follow their instructions regarding long term maintenance there is an excellent chance that I will not have any more trouble. That gives me hope that lymphedema will not be something that interferes with my life for long! If I have learnt anything out of all this it is that once you start to tackle the challenges of this situation things get more manageable. Keep looking forward but just to the next step. The time just keeps progressing once you are involved in treatment and it actually goes pretty fast. This network is a wonderful place to get support from others who really know how you feel. Take care and keep in touch. Deanne xxx
Maria_G
Member
12 years ago
Thank you for your kind words, I'm still in a whirl wind I just can't believe this!!

The lymphedema is scaring at the mo' because I just wasn't expecting it & feel it is one more thing I have to manage. I went to the lymphedema & laser clinic at Payneham last Monday & have another round before I start chemo on Tuesday. I know there is a clinic on Greenhill Rd, you just start to wonder who is the best person to see. Just wondering how did they treat your lymphedema?

I truly appreciate you support & advice. I'm looking at 3 weekly treatment for 4 cylcles & then taxol weekly for 12 weeks+ herceptin 3 weekly for a year, & radiotherapy to follow. It seems like an eternity at this point.

Thank you once again, you take care too xxx
Deanne
Member
12 years ago
So sorry that you are facing this too. If they took 3 nodes and these were all clear then it is unlikely that the cancer skipped these nodes and went into others further along. Lymphedema is one of the things that still needs research for better answers. It effects some people who only have a couple of nodes taken and yet others who have 30 nodes removed never have a problem! It is very scarey but treatable if you get onto it early. Do you have someone you are seeing for treatment of this? I had 6 rounds of chemo (3x FEC, 3x Docetaxel) over 18 weeks, then 25 radiotherapy treatments. You will feel better once you start treatment because you will feel like things are progressing. There are lots of bloggs about chemo and what people have found helpful on here. But if you have specific concerns just post about them and there will be someone who can help. This is the best place for support. Wishing you all the best. Take care. Deanne xxx
Maria_G
Member
12 years ago
Hi Girls, have just been reading all your stories. I have just been diagnosed grade 3 with very narrow surgical margins. Of course like every other girl with a breast cancer diagnosis I am terrifed. To top it all off only 3 nodes were taken & were negative. Because of the high grade & now I am almost 4 weeks post surgery I am frightened that the nodes left may have cancer in them. Feeling this way because I have started to develop lymphoedema, which I didn't think would happen if I only had 3 nodes taken. I thought my arm would still drain successfully. Have been doing my best to keep the fluid moving in my arm, but feeling really scared. Have been told I'm looking at a total of 6 months chemo, to be followed by radiation therapy. Just wondering what your treatment regimes were. Would appreciate any advice you can offer.

Maria
Maria_G
Member
12 years ago
Hi Girls, have just been reading all your stories. I have just been diagnosed grade 3 with very narrow surgical margins. Of course like every other girl with a breast cancer diagnosis I am terrifed. To top it all off only 3 nodes were taken & were negative. Because of the high grade & now I am almost 4 weeks post surgery I am frightened that the nodes left may have cancer in them. Feeling this way because I have started to develop lymphoedema, which I didn't think would happen if I only had 3 nodes taken. I thought my arm would still drain successfully. Have been doing my best to keep the fluid moving in my arm, but feeling really scared. Have been told I'm looking at a total of 6 months chemo, to be followed by radiation therapy. Just wondering what your treatment regimes were. Would appreciate any advice you can offer.

Maria