How do they determine if it's a brand new cancer or a recurrence?

2Floridiansisters
2Floridiansisters Member Posts: 384 Member
in Breast Cancer #1

Can anyone explain this to me? Thank you

Comments

  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #2
    I don't know about others,

    When mine was back, they did blood work, a pet scan,Dr scan, then I had a bone marrow biopsy,(it was in my bones and some soft tissue tumors), and did biopsies on some of the soft tissue lumps and it came back as Invasive ductal carcinoma.   

    When I had another credit scan and it showed 3 lesions in my liver, they did not do another biopsy.  Was told they were quite sure it was the same cancer, so they changed chemo and 4 months later the livertumors were gone!

    I do not know how everyone else was dx. But I do recall, many having biopsies.  I have a friend here who is stage iv breast, triple positive.  She was having stomach issues, they did upper lower go, colonoscopy. Showed tumors in lower stomach, they figured it was bc, but it came back as stage 1 stomach cancer.

    That's all I know.

    Hugs, 

    Carol

  • 2Floridiansisters
    2Floridiansisters Member Posts: 384 Member
    #3
    camul said:

    I don't know about others,

    When mine was back, they did blood work, a pet scan,Dr scan, then I had a bone marrow biopsy,(it was in my bones and some soft tissue tumors), and did biopsies on some of the soft tissue lumps and it came back as Invasive ductal carcinoma.   

    When I had another credit scan and it showed 3 lesions in my liver, they did not do another biopsy.  Was told they were quite sure it was the same cancer, so they changed chemo and 4 months later the livertumors were gone!

    I do not know how everyone else was dx. But I do recall, many having biopsies.  I have a friend here who is stage iv breast, triple positive.  She was having stomach issues, they did upper lower go, colonoscopy. Showed tumors in lower stomach, they figured it was bc, but it came back as stage 1 stomach cancer.

    That's all I know.

    Hugs, 

    Carol

    That's interesting camul, it

    That's interesting camul, it also sucks. 5 years ago I was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma and some DCIS was treated for it with chemo, surgery and then radiation, then put on tamoxifen. Now here I am with Invasive ductal and some more DCIS, I had a pet scan a couple weeks ago, it was all clear except for this cancer in my breast, same breast too as before. I just wanted to know but haven't remembered to ask the doctor, I was thinking since it's a different type of cancer maybe it's a new priomary, but what do i know???

     

    Hang in there camul, somehow we'll get through this. 

  • Gm2873
    Gm2873 Member Posts: 65
    #4

    My doctor said it was new because there was twenty years between the two tumors, 1st in right breast, second in left. I sometimes wonder though since breast cancer can be a notoriously slow grower. That's what makes it so scary because this time around, it has metastasized to bone. I worry that there's a cell out there attached to bone or brain biding it's time, waiting to do it's dirty work and start growing! Still on letrozole and Herceptin indefinitely, so hoping that will keep it at bay for a long time.

     

  • crselby
    crselby Member Posts: 441 Member
    #5
    My doctors seem to avoid

    My doctors seem to avoid trying to decide if my second dx of DCIS six years after treatment for the first is a recurrence or missed cells from the first time, or a new cancer popping up.  Location would indicate it might be leftovers.  Get an answer, 2FloridianSisters, because it makes a difference in deciding what treatments are needed!!  One good thing that happened to me: in the years between the first and second dx, the Oncotype DX was approved for use on DCIS specimens and it told us that radiation wouldn't be necessary this time!! Yay!!

    ~~Connie~~ 

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