Pockets of Cancer in Breast

[HubMomDeb]

Early January I discovered a lump in my left breast just above the nipple.  I just had a routine mammogram done just 6 months before.  My doctor immediately sent me for another mammogram and ultrasound.  The results came in a few days later saying it was an foreign metal object imbedded in my breast and that it had been there a long time and has become calcified.  There was no recommendation for removal but I didn't like having the lump so I opted to have it removed.  Since it was not considered a life or death situation I was not able to get in to see a surgeon for months and then a couple more months went by before I went in to have it removed under local freezing.  It was painful but over with.  He told me he would let me know if a few weeks what "metal object" they found.

Three weeks later they called me in and told me that they actually found cancer in the scar tissue they removed (from a previous breast reduction).  He needed to go in again to remove the sentinal lymph nodes and to take more tissue looking for clear margins.  That surgery was booked for less than a week later.

Three weeks after the surgery I go back in to discover that the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes (which is awesome news) but that they did not get clear margins in the tissue they removed.  In fact the pathologist said that it is quite strange what they did discover.  It appears that I do not have a breast cancer "tumor" but rather I have little pockets of cancer throughout the tissue that was removed and they can therefore NOT determine the size or grade of the cancer.  My surgeon is totally confused and is referring me to a radiation expert and an oncologist to see what they say.  He (and I) is not against doing another wedge resection (I am not opposed to doing a full masectomy is needed) but he thinks that they might be able to just use radiation to kill the "pockets" of cancer.

Has anyone ever heard of this before and does anyone have any recommendations for suggestions as to how best to proceed?  I do not want heroic measures taken to save my breast - just to save my life.

[japdip]

I think we all would prefer that someone would make these decisions for us; it would be so much simpler that way. Each case is so vastly different that most must be taken individually. Many an Oncologist has been asked "what would you do if it were your Mother, Sister, Wife" .... if you can't decide when given a choice you can always use that line.    Take care ...

[HubMomDeb]

Thanks for answering.  I would really like to know if anyone else has ever had this kind of diagnosis.  Leave it to me to get a rare cancer!  I never was one to follow the crowd!  I just hate that no one can say "THIS is what we need to do".  I am worried that I will make the wrong decision and either not be aggresive enough or be too aggresive.

[japdip]

This is truly rather unusual and I think the consult with the Radiation Oncologist is a very good choice. If I were you and you truly feel the way you seem to about additional surgery; I would make it perfectly clear that you would not object to a mastectomy as an option in this case. It's a very personal decision but it's "yours" to make.  Regards ....