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In 5/01 I had lumpectomy, 1.8cm invasive ductal carcinoma and DCIS with comedo, clear margins, ER+PR+Her2neu+++, no nodes, followed by FAC (total 6, 1 every 3 weeks), 30 days radiation, Tamoxifen 3yrs. then Aromasin. In 3/05 my Internist thought she felt a lump in treated breast, and I had a diagnostic mammogram & ultrasound. Tech & doctor didn't see anything, but didn't have my mammograms from 7/04 to compare. I was called back for a biopsy, and tiny microcalcifications were removed - invasive ductal carcinoma. I had a mastectomy in 4/05, and the pathology was DCIS comedo type, ER-PR-Her2neu+++. All of the invasive carcinoma was removed during the biopsy. I tell you this because in retrospect I wish I'd had a mastectomy the first time around, because of aggressiveness of this cancer. Now I am having 12 weekly treatments of Taxol & Herceptin, followed by Herceptin once every 3 weeks for a year. All of my tests were negative for mets (CT, bone scan, MRI/checking lung, bone, liver, abdomen, brain, breast). I begged my Oncologist for a brain MRI, which she got for me. Also, I went for a second opinion, and a breast MRI was recommended, which I had before my surgery. If you decide to have a lumpectomy (statistically the same as mastectomy if combined with radiation, but I question if it's true for Her2neu+++tumors), you might want to ask about mammosite, a new way to deliver radiation directly into the lumpectomy scar, delivering dose to treated area and reducing damage to more distant tissues/organs. I was not a candidate for 2nd lumpectomy because of full radiation to breast in 2001 and the gold standard for recurrence is mastectomy. Postoperatively I had 2 drains, only spent 1 night in the hospital, and was on antibiotics for 10 days. Hope my experience can help you decide what's best for you.
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