Stats on location of recurrences, anyone?

Hi - I'm new here. Her2 +, nodal involvement, bilat. mastec. (2nd breast prophylatic), declined adjuvant therapy, July 2003. Moved to another city. Saw new Consultant today. She said " Up here, we wouldn't have done THAT!" I'm booked for CT scan soon to rule out brain mets.

My question: anyone know if there are stats showing subsequent tumour locations; 2nd breast versus other sites?

No knowing the type of BC you had, it's difficult to say. But common recurrence sites include liver, bones, brain and lungs. Did you old doc do scans of these places during your treatment? If not, without symptoms or rising tumor markers in your blood, you probably won't be given scans except every 6 months or annually. The reason? A scan today could be clean while the same scan in 2 weeks could show multilple lesions. The damned cancer can be very aggressive. I AM glad you're having a brain CT scan, although I personally prefer brain MRI since it shows more detail. Several women on this site, me included, asked for and got brain scans with no symptoms only to find multiple mets. Sneaky.

Good luck with your scan and keep us posted.

Love and light,

Lisa

Lisa
Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to see your love and light...may you have much of it this Christmas and throughout the next year!
Hugs
Sheila

Eccles,

My mets has been to my left lung only at this point. Had this "one spot" surgically removed and am NED at this point. My onc. continues to monitor me closely with frequent scans as my disease, at least at first, appeared to be pretty agressive. My mets showed up less than 6 months after completing chemo for my primary diagnosis.

You never know what to expect next.

Peggy in Orlando

Mine showed up in my axcillary lymph nodes (under my arm). As Lisa said, this is "sneaky" stuff.

Without chemotherapy, I would suggest you be extra dilligent. Perhaps your new Onc could prescribe Herceptin to you. It has so few side effects and is not a Chemotherapy.

Good Luck to you and God Bless.

Cindi.

A tumor in the second breast would most likely be a new primary cancer, not a recurrence. A recurrence would more likely occur in the SAME breast, a lymph node or a distant spot in the body (like the liver, lung, bone or brain).

Why are you trying to rule out a brain metastesis? Have you been having symptoms, or is this considered routine by your new doctor?

Hi there -
Well, you may feel somewhat safe having no breasts now, but HER2 positive cancer particularly likes to take up residence in the liver and bones, as was the case with me and so many other women. I had only a lumpectomy with clean margins and my lower axcilla (all on the right side) removed. My liver was invaded big time within 6 months of getting off aggressive chemo and having radiation.
I also know someone who got a new primary (NOT Her2 positive) in the same breast as her first cancer. But this sort of thing you don't need to worry about. However, the mastectomy scars are another place the cancer can return to.
Vigilance is the best policy. Getting all the tests and scans will hopefully catch anything else that may pop up.

Thanks to all who posted on my question. Yes, I did imagine that I might avoid some more surgeries by eliminating the second breast as a possible target area for recurrance. (Obviously at the time I did not know it was ER/PR- and HER2+++. ) I had no intention of reconstructive surgery, so the second one "was a useless tit" anyway. The past seven weeks of constant pain at the base of my skull is what is prompting the investigation. Maybe it is a virus, cold, flu? The xray show some arthritis??? which is definitely a first for me anywhere. Now with the advise on the lesser effectiveness of a CT scan over MRI ( I don't know if MRI is an option where I am) perhaps it is not even worth doing.

[Lolly]

Hi,
Your comment that perhaps the CT isn't worth doing as it's possibly less effective than MRI scares me, given that you've been having constant pain at the base of your skull...I hope you'll consider having the CT anyway, as something is better than nothing if you're having symptoms. Pain at the base of the skull doesn't mean brain mets, but could definitely be a pressure symptom, so best to have it checked out with the means available to you, since you indicate MRI may be difficult to get where you are. Constant pain anywhere for 7 weeks bears looking into. Keep us posted, and best wishes.

Love, Lolly