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Suggest Treatment Schedule For Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer

Posted on Sat, 7 Mar 2015

Question: 6 years ago I had Invasive lobular breast cancer stage 3c.Clear margins after I had surgery. I also had radiation and hormone therapy. Estrogen positive. Yesterday I had a liver US and the result came back coarse echotexture on liver. Prior to this, I had been diagnosed 18 months ago as having a benign 3cm hemangioma on my liver. However, yesterday they couldn't find it. Just the echotexture. I have been having crazy bad headaches too and I have fallen down twice this month. I am also having back and neck pain. No one seems to be able to look at the wide picture. I am at high risk of BC due to Mum getting it at age 42. I had my ovaries and tubes out 18 months ago due to one ovary being course echotexture. What exactly is it?

Answered by Dr. Pranjal Kulshreshtha (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Need to undergo a CT or a PET/CT.

Detailed Answer:
Hi.
I am an oncologist of several years experience. Firstly, I fail to understand why you didnt receive any chemotherapy for stage 3c breast cancer as it is mandatory. May be you failed to mention it.
If you didnt receive chemotherapy then it further increases your risk of recurrence.
Besides that the factors that point to an increased risk of recurrence are stage 3c, family history and young age at diagnosis.
The point against it being a recurrence is the long time since your first cancer.
However, in view of the symptoms that you are having and the ultrasound findings, it is important that we investigate further.
The best would be to undergo a PET/CT as it will scan the whole body and not just the abdomen. So, I suggest that you schedule yourself for a PET/Ct scan in consultation with your oncologist as soon as possible.
Hemangiomas are known to disappear on their own and are not a cause for concern.
I hope that answers your query. If there are any more, I will be happy to answer them.
Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D

Follow up: Dr. Pranjal Kulshreshtha (1 hour later)

Thank you. I had no node involvement. I may have been wrong about the staging. I have thrown out all the old paperwork - happy to have moved on. Is there 2b or c? I do know it was infiltrating lobular and I remember the surgeon telling me it wasn't level 1.

I don't yet understand what the US Abdomen liver terminology means really. What are the possibilities apart from recurrence? Could it just be fatty liver

Also, I only saw an oncologist for my radiation. I have never seen one since. I have yearly breast MRI, mamograms with the surgeon - he recommended I have both ovaries out because he didn't want me to have estrogen.

Answered by Dr. Pranjal Kulshreshtha (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Get a PEt/Ct done and show to an oncologist

Detailed Answer:
Hi.
If you got the stage wrong, then it is possible that you did not need chemotherapy, although any tumor that is not stage 1 needs chemotherapy, even node negative tumors. In fact all tumors more than 1cm in size need chemotherapy. Anyway, that's past and cannot be changed.

Even if you did not need chemotherapy, then also there are risk factors that dictate that we get a PET/CT done to confirm whether there is any recurrence in the body or not.

Besides cancer in the liver, it could be a simple fatty infiltration which is a totally benign condition.
The decision to remove your ovaries was correct as it helps in the overall control of breast cancer.

I suggest you immediately meet an Oncologist and discuss the situation with him. Get a scan done in consultation with him.

Hope that answers all your queries. If you have no more, then kindly rate the answer and close the thread.
Take care.

Note: For further queries related to kidney problems Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E