Decision
I have been diagnosed a second time the first was DCIS 3.5yrs ago, had a lumpectomy without radiation or chemo. Cancer has now returned in the milk duct 2mm. I am having surgery soon was given choice of total mastectomy or total nipple and aerola removal. His recommendation was mastectomy, I have chosen the later. Now wondering if I was offered radiation after the first surgery would I be in this situation now. Also not recommended for radiation after this current one. Not sure if I have made the right decision.
Post radiation lump
Hi all, I had DCIS which was extracted last November (wide local excision) and completed my radiation therapy in mid-Jan '24 which I did really well with. Was completely elated when the treatment was finished only to find a month later that I have some soreness in my affected breast with a hard lump now apparent and confirmed by my GP today. She has referred me for an ultrasound etc but wanted to canvas the group if anyone experienced anything like this or knows of similar side effects. Calcification perhaps?Radiation Therapy public vs private
Hi everyone, I have recently been diagnosed with DCIS High Grade and about to undergo a second surgery at a public hospital to extract more tissue via a re-excision. My question is how to go about deciding who to go with for Radiation Therapy which has already been recommended to me by my surgeon. I have heard about this decision tool called DCISionRT that Genesis Care provide which basically determines whether radiotherapy will be of benefit to me. I wanted to see if anyone out there has any experience with this company, the good the bad or the ugly or otherwise any general recommendations of where to go for radiation treatment in Melbourne. I am not so concerned with cost at this stage more general experience.
ER -ve DCIS have had Tamoxifen offered
Hi brains trust. I have just had single mastectomy due to high grade and large DCIS. The results from pathology show that the DCIS was ER/PR-ve and HER2 +ve. I’ve been offered Tamoxifen as an option to reduce risk on other side. Am I right in thinking this would not help if I get the same kind of DCIS or cancer in the other side? I’m not sure how keen I am to take hormone blockers as my understanding is that I now have same risk as the rest of the population. Anybody else been in this situation? Any suggestions on where to research?
New DCIS diagnosis in Brisbane
Hi all, I've had two lumpectomies now for DCIS, which was caught in a routine mammogram/ultrasound. I'm waiting for the final pathology results from the last op and will then move on to radiation therapy. I'm wondering what the wait times are like in the public system (probably RBH). My mum is worried I'll be waiting too long but the cost from the private surgeries/pathology/screening/anaesthetics etc. was around $5K before rebates. Does anyone have an idea of how long I'll wait and if that wait will be okay?
Double mastectomy for single DCIS?
Hi! New to this so bear with me. I was diagnosed last week with high grade , large DCIS multifocal Pr +40% and Er - left breast 6cm. Being smaller breasted it is likely i will lose the breast and in fact i will be choosing this as i have a sun keratosis lesion on my nipple anyway and also would prefer to avoid any recurrence and radiation if possible. What i am wondering is instead of reconstruction to that breast has anyone taken the healthy breast as well to match and stayed flat? Will surgeons generally agree to this in the public system? I realise its overkill as far as treatment goes but is it any different than a reconstruction? Just think i would prefer to have my breasts the same but at this stage do not want reconstruction or prosthesis.DCIS and endometriosis- HELP!!
Hi everyone, totally new to this amazing network and this whole new world of cancer & DCIS! I am looking for advice to to hear from ANYONE who may have been through something similar to what I am going through. two months ago I found a lump in my right breast and the GP sent me off to the experts. Biopsy’s, ultrasounds, MRIs, mammograms later it’s DCIS. I am run through the options and go into for a wide local. During this surgery they find a 0.8m tumor and remove and take wider margins. However they do not come back clear, so the following week I go back in for some more “housekeeping” and wider margins. I was told yesterday that those margins are clear, hooray! The direction now is that they want to do 5 weeks of radiation and put me on Tamoxifen for 5-10 years. HOWEVER, I have endometriosis and have been told tamoxifen will heighten my endometriosis. Along with the standard early menopause (should say I am 39 years old with one kid, happy with one child, based in Newcastle NSW). As this has already been such a whirlwind, I am trying to find resources or people who have had to go into early menopause - did you get endo side effects? Or if you already had endo, did you opt to have your ovaries etc removed to stop any side effects/pain? Or did you opt for a mastectomy instead? Soooo many questions! I am discussing with all doctors and specialists but haven’t ever spoken to another person in my position. Please PM me or comment if you want to share your experience thanks for listening 😊
Surgery is on Monday
Hi all, I'm new here, having been diagnosed 3 weeks ago. And what a rollercoaster it's been! So comforting to have this amazing support network of those who have been through all of this before me. There's been a lot of information to absorb and whilst I'm sure I've been told, I'm not sure when I'll be able to take a shower after my surgery, due to bandages etc. It's not the thought of being unable to shower, just that it may be difficult to wash my hair! I'm considering shaving my head prior to Monday so it's one fewer thing for me to worry about. Plus it will be on my terms! I know that I'm going to lose my hair when I start chemotherapy and radiation anyway because I can't use a cold cap because of COVID. Do you think shaving my head prior to surgery will be too much for me to cope with because of the mastectomy? Thanks (sorry if this has previously been discussed. I'm still learning how to use the network)
DCIS genetic testing and Tamoxifen
Hi everyone, I’m new to the group :) . I’m 48 and I was diagnosed with high grade DCIS in March 2020. I had surgery and I’m just over half way through Radiotherapy. I am trying to decide whether to have private genetic BRCA Testing (Medicare advised they won’t test due to no prior family history of breast or ovarian cancer- mum did pass away at 35 of cervical cancer but apparently isn’t hereditary). I know the results can be inconclusive, but just wondered if anyone has undergone testing and if they could give any insight or advice. My specialist has also discussed the possibility of me taking Tamoxifen preventative cancer treatment. I am a little concerned of the side effects, In particularly clots in the lungs and legs. Just wondered if anyone out there has any advice. Thanks :)
