sarcoma of the breast

[anns family]

hi

we are wondering,  can you help us and give us answers and advice,  our sister got  her breast removed in july 2003 she has now been told that she has got sarcoma of the breast and they are going to give her chemo and radiothearpy, also her hands and legs are swollen she has to wear a glove when she opens a fridge what exactly is this, how bad it this sarcoma what is the best we should hope for and how long would you give some person with this type of cancer,  can somebody please help us and tell us exactly what we are dealing with and what we should be getting ready to face

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear anns family:  With the information you have provided, it is difficult to provide any specific answers. However, it is possible to have a sarcoma of the breast - I am unclear is this is the original diagnosis or a second diagnosis?  Also, I am unsure as to why her hands and legs are both swollen?  Is she on therapy now?  Does she have any other medical problems?  Whether or not to do chemo and radiation depends upon the specifics of the situation - has the cancer spread?  Without more specific information, I'm afraid we cannot provide good answers.

[surgeon]

there are several kinds of sarcoma, and various grades, all of which have different behaviors. So it's hard to answer your question without knowing a lot more. Swelling of the arm and hand on the side someone had a mastectomy can be due to the surgery and have not particular meaning as far as prognosis. Swelling of the other arm, and of the legs would not be due to the things going on in  her breast alone; there has to be another explanation for it, whether it has to do with fluid problems, or low protein levels, or heart problems, or tumor in other places. So despite your concerns and need for information, there's not enough to go on to give you much. It seems the best way to get it is to confer with her doctors; nowadays, that can only be done with her permission, because of new laws regarding patient information.