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Breast Cancer: Stage 3 & 4 Community
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what do you think?
by newt8102, Dec 14, 2007 09:06PM
stage 2, grade 3 invasive ductal w/ ln dissection..2005
followed by chemo (act), radiation, arimidex
reocurrance2007, bilateral mastectomy, right side prophylactic followed by xeloda
6 mos later PET?CT scans show enlarged nodes and cancer cell activity.
Rght ln dissection sch for 12/17/07
followed by chemo (act), radiation, arimidex
reocurrance2007, bilateral mastectomy, right side prophylactic followed by xeloda
6 mos later PET?CT scans show enlarged nodes and cancer cell activity.
Rght ln dissection sch for 12/17/07
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I hope this helps and does not add any confusion.
If the patient is a good candidate for surgery, then it is a valid option. Looking at the way things are going however, an argument as to whether giving chemotherapy or radiation therapy is meritorious.
Surgery confers the best chance of removing all of the cancer, but since the longest margin afforded is only 2 years, and a third recurrence has happened, it is hard to argue in favor of surgery.
What is odd here however, is that the location of the nodes at the inguinal area (I am assuming that Right In means right Inguinal) is not typical for breast cancer. You may wich to explore an option of biopsy of the nguinal nodes because they may present a different problem. If the nodes are too small and difficult to biopsy from a technical standpoint - then outright dissection would be the way to go. Considering this point of view, then surgery has the the combined weight of evaluation (if it turns out not tobe breast cancer) and treatment (if it is breast cancer) as an intervention.