Question-Stage IV Breast Cancer

2nu2tnbc
2nu2tnbc Member Posts: 69 Member
in Breast Cancer #1

Do doctors perform lumpectemies and mastectoomies on patients who are already stage IV at diagnosis?

Comments

  • Kats2
    Kats2 Member Posts: 126
    edited March 2017 #2
    Good question!!

    Hi 2nu, You're posing a very good question. For me, no scans were done to check the status of my whole body before my lumpectomy was performed. The surgery showed that I had 1 positive sentinel node. I only had radiation, then was put on Arimidex with no follow-up bloodwork or scans. 1  1/2 yrs later, bone mets appeared. I'm Stage 4 too.

    My mother, on the other hand,had a bone and liver scan done on her before the surgeon would even touch her! He said that if cancer was found anywhere else in her body he would NOT operate. She had the scans and they came out ok, and she had a mastectomy.

    Times have changed in BC treatment for sure. I have a feeling that surgery won't be recommended for you, at least not right now.

    Keep us posted. Wishing you good luck and sending prayers your way that your treatment plan is right for you.  Kats2

     

     

  • peony
    peony Member Posts: 306 Member
    edited March 2017 #3
    Kats2, 

    Kats2, 

    What stage were you when the lumpectomy was done?

  • 2nu2tnbc
    2nu2tnbc Member Posts: 69 Member
    edited March 2017 #4
    peony said:

    Kats2, 

    Kats2, 

    What stage were you when the lumpectomy was done?

    I had a mastectomy.....

    I had a mastectomy......Finishing up Radiation therapy on Monday.  I am not stage IV, but have noticed that many women have had surgery and are stage IV, but maybe these are  recurrences.  I was trying to find out if surgery was an option for this stage.

     

  • Kats2
    Kats2 Member Posts: 126
    #5
    peony said:

    Kats2, 

    Kats2, 

    What stage were you when the lumpectomy was done?

    I was Stage 1.....

    Hi Peony,

    I was Stage 1. After lumpectomy, I was Stage 2 because of that one positive lymph node they found when I had the sentinel node biopsy with my lumpectomy. They should've had me get chemo at that point, but no, only radiation and Arimidex were suggested. I feel that I had metastisis all along before my lumpectomy, but as I said, no scans were done on me to rule that out. I have sneaky Lobular BC on top of that! Am Stage 4 but am doing okay. My medication may be switched at the end of  the month, but first I'm getting another opinion at Dana Farber. I'd like a liquid biopsy which would better show my mutations and what drugs would help or not help me. I hope my insurance will cover this blood test!    Kats2 

  • katfur111
    katfur111 Member Posts: 8
    #6
    my surgen said no to surgery

    im stage 4 invasive labular breast CA mets to my omentum (stomach) my oncologist said no and all i wanted was both breast GONE and ASAP but the plastic surgen said no too, once it spread somewhere else they both said no reason to open you up. even though my thought is if its in both breast, and started there wouldnt it help to remove them? give the body less to have to fight, and the medication less to have to kill? but they still say no. i have to trust them i guess. im still not sure of it though. good luck kathy

  • Apaugh
    Apaugh Member Posts: 850 Member
    edited March 2017 #7
    same for my mother

    They did not open up my mother due to spread and stage IV.  they just started treating her with chemo. 

     

  • ChwaraeTeg
    ChwaraeTeg Member Posts: 10
    edited March 2017 #8
    Hi 2nu! I am new here, and my

    Hi 2nu! I am new here, and my husband is tnbc, brca2 and stage IV (started in lymph nodes in arm, now chest and neck) Was also told  no to surgery (too many sites, also had surgery already on his arm--axial node dissection--and it's back in less than four months, so they decided it wasn't effective for him.  He will be starting on...cisplatin? cisplatin and...something (parp/wee-1/something)

    He went to Dana Farber (finally!) and had an extremely helpful consult there. We are from MT and while we have terrific mountains and fabulous hunting, we don't have anywhere like DF or Mayo or MDA. I'm hopeful he will go there for tx, but he may not.

    Anyway, we were told stage IV, for him anyway, tx will be chemo of some flavor or another. Maybe a keytruda study at some point.

  • Kats2
    Kats2 Member Posts: 126
    #9
    2nu2tnbc said:

    I had a mastectomy.....

    I had a mastectomy......Finishing up Radiation therapy on Monday.  I am not stage IV, but have noticed that many women have had surgery and are stage IV, but maybe these are  recurrences.  I was trying to find out if surgery was an option for this stage.

     

    Your stage?

    Hi 2nu, 

    Exactly what stage are you? I wouldn't worry too much about surgery at this point if you've already had a mastectomy. If you should have a recurrence in the future, depending where the recurrence is, then maybe surgery or radiation would be recommended. Enjoy not being Stage 4!!!!    Kats2

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