Hi Patricia,

Thank you very much for your kind reply.  Yes, my thoughts exactly.  I certainly do consider myself to be very lucky - there are so many pink sisters out there who are not as fortunate with their diagnosis and have to go through so much.  I truly feel as though I've dodged a bullet and I have a new lease on life.  It's probably the kick up the back side I needed to get my life back on track as it hasn't been so good.

Onwards and upwards I say :-)

 

Hi Simone,

Sorry to hear your news about having Mucinous Cancer however the good news is it is the best breast cancer to have if we have to end up getting BC. If you use this link

http://community.breastcancer.org/topic_post?forum_id=137&id=733018&page=36

It will take you to the Breast Cancer support link in USA which solely deals with Mucinous cancer, it is so helpful. You will read the latest info and the new research they are working together with.

I will add you to my list of MC sisters that I pray for regulalry if that is ok with you. My progress is superb as is so very many of those of us with this breast cancer.

Blessings memyselfI aka Patricia

 

Hi Chin It is sad to welcome you to our group however MC is quite manageable. It is normal to feel fearful having just been diagnosed with breast cancer its the last thing we expect to hear that we have. MC of all the breast cancers is the preferable one to have it is least aggressive, so read all the research you can. Do go online to the Breast cancer Mucinous Cancer support group USA they have very knowledgeable people there. Normally with the lumpectomy and the low grade tumour that you have you would not receive chemo. It is more normal to have hormone treatment 1 Tamoxifen daily for 5 years and maybe 25 sessions of radiotherapy. I was a bit fearful of the radiotherapy but it was much easier to handle than I expected. I tried to focus on the fact that FEAR is often False Evidence Appearing Real and used two verses of scripture to help me through the whole of my treatment they are

I recently just diagnose with mucinous carcinoma(after done lump wide excision), hormone receptor positive and herr2 negative. with a low grade of tumour cells. also 3 sentinel node been dissected, show reactive features.

now i am still live in fear as i newly diagnose with this cancer (1months). Im more worried on those treatment like chemo or radiation. I am young age with 33yr old only.

you can contact me at my private mail over here as well.

 

thanks,

Chin

Hi Helen I have sent you a request to be connected request. Its a complicated website to use so I hope I have done it right, then I think it provides the link. The online USA site has lots of the latest research into Mucinous Cancer if you like all the detail. One of the women Voraciousreader is her pen name, is extremely knowledgeable. Yes MC has a very favourable outcome lots of the research show that 95%of women who had MC are alive 20 years later so it does take some of the fear out of it.

Have a great day and enjoy your one year marker of moving forward to good health now the treatment is partly out of the way. Blessings Patricia

Patricia

Thank you so much for passing this on.  My goodness, I didn't realise there was so much specific information about mucinous cancer available.  I will certainly check out the website you mentioned.  If I had known before about the good outcomes usually experienced by women with mucinous cancer, I probably would have felt less anxious about the future.  But, as it happens, my cancer did spread to my sentinel node.  There was only a tiny amount though, 11 cells.

My cancers were Grade 2, 2cm and 1cm in size, hormone postive and HER+.

I've been on this network for less than a month.  I am not completely sure how the "contact" idea works.  But if you would find it helpful to have me as a contact, I would like very much to keep in touch and share the experience of this uncommon cancer.

All the best to you and take care,

Helen.

Hi helen, I have heaps of information on mucinous cancer. If you go online and type in Mucinous Cancer Breast Cancer Support USA you will get an excellent online resource with loads of info. This is the 1st bit of info I got before I found the specific MC site.

Mucinous (Colloid) Carcinoma of the Breast

By Pam Stephan, About.com Guide,Updated August 05, 2008

Overview of Mucinous Carcinoma of the Breast:

Mucinous (colloid) carcinoma is a rare type of invasive breast cancer that is formed when cancer cells within your breast produce mucous. This mucous contains breast cancer cells that are easily distinguished from normal cells under a microscope. Together, the mucous and cancer cells form a jelly-like tumor. Most mucinous carcinomas of the breast are estrogen-receptor positive and HER2/neu negative. This type of breast cancer rarely spreads to your lymph nodes.

Mucinous Carcinoma of the Breast is an Uncommon Diagnosis:

Mucinous carcinoma of the breast is a rare type of invasive breast cancer, diagnosed in less than 3% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Also Known As:

colloid carcinoma

Signs and Symptoms of Mucinous Carcinoma:

A gelatinous tumor of mucinous carcinoma of the breast will feel like a slightly bumpy water balloon, similar to harmless fluid-filled cysts. Smaller tumors may be too little to detect with your fingers, but larger tumors may press on surrounding breast tissue and cause it to feel tender. During your regular breast self-exam, if you feel an area that won't compress like the rest of your breast tissue, get it checked out by a health professional.

Tests Used to Diagnose Mucinous Carcinoma:

• Mammogram – A mucinous carcinoma of the breast will often appear on a mammogram as a mass with distinct borders, having a bumpy shape. These can sometimes look like benign masses on a mammogram.
• Breast ultrasound – A little less than half of all mucinous carcinomas will be seen on a breast ultrasound, and the smaller tumors tend to hide within fatty tissue.
• Open surgical biopsy – A tissue sample is taken and tested for specific characteristics in the lab.

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                          Your Prognosis for Mucinous Carcinoma:

Mucinous carcinoma of the breast usually appears in older women (ages 48 to 82) and is a medium- to- low-grade slow-growing type of breast cancer. Since it is not aggressive, your outlook, or prognosis if you are diagnosed with this type of breast cancer, is better than most other invasive breast cancers. A study done in western Australia found that, in most cases of mucinous carcinoma, the cancer did not spread to the lymph nodes nor metastasize to other parts of the body.

Treatments for Mucinous Carcinoma:

Mucinous carcinoma should be treated to get rid of the cancer and to prevent it from returning (recurrence). Treatments may include:

• Lumpectomy (surgery to remove the tumor and a margin of the surrounding tissue)
• Mastectomy (surgery to remove all of the breast tissue)
• Radiation

Hormone Therapy (for hormone-sensitive cancers)

I hope this is helpful. Do you know the grade and size of your cancer and if it is Progesterone, Oestrogen or HER (Growth Hormone receptive) I guess if you have had herceptin that it is HER +.Blessings & prayers from Patricia