Treatment options for recurrence

Hi Melinda,

Yes, I agree, it sounds like you have been told similar to me about the recommended treatment and recurrence.  Perhaps a lot of women don't have a lumpectomy for the recurrence to confirm the diagnosis of recurrent invasive breast cancer.  If they know from the biopsy for sure then perhaps their choice is lumpectomy or mastectomy and they go for the mastectomy.  I think perhaps that with our cases, it may be because they have removed the recurrent tumor with the lumpectomy the urgency for a mastectomy is alleviated.  

I do find it odd that they have so many statistics about risk of recurrence from a first time breast cancer but when I asked about statistics on further recurrence risk or risk of spread to other parts of the body I was told they don't have much data after a recurrence - especially for women who don't have a mastectomy and choose monitoring and drugs.  The percentages I was given for risk were the same as they use for first time.  That doesn't sound accurate to me seeing as having had it twice must change the risk percentages.  Hope you understand what I mean - it sounds a bit of a muddle.

I really feel for you with having had chemo and I was lucky.  I think that if I had that I would be more thinking like you that you don't want to go through it again.  I already feel quite a bit like that with these odd complications that I seem to get.  In the past also I was given pretty good odds of things happening - like 10% - and I have drawn the short straw on more than one occasion with the odds so it doesn't really make me feel too confident when I am given what sounds like pretty good risk percentages.

It adds to the mix when they say that having a mastectomy reduces the risk of recurrence in the breast of course but it does not mean it can't return elsewhere.  No crystal balls I guess and we can't expect to docs to have all the answers.  It must be hard for them to not know for sure what is the absolute best.

You asked about the diagnosis from my recurrence - it was recurrent invasive solid papillary carcinoma.  The lumpectomy removed it all with clear margins so that was good news.  I am thinking that I will probably end up having a mastectomy because of the other issues and infections that keep happening as well, but there are no guarantees that these won't continue as some of the problem seems to be partly due to the past radiation treatment and the damage to the tissue that it leaves.  I guess there are risks with everything and we can only choose what we feel right with at the time.

I hope you also have some clarity soon.  Thanks for responding - it does help to not feel quite so alone about which path to take.  

Cheers, Pauline xx