Anyone here have endometrial or uterine cancer BEFORE breast cancer?

lindaprocopio
lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi! I had surgery, chemo, and radiation for a rare aggressive form of endometrial cancer in 2008/2009, and was treated for a recurrence in 3 lymph nodes this past winter and went back into remission in February. Now my CT/PET scan last week shows one of the same lymph nodes (1.0 cm x 1.3 cm) under my arm 'lighting up' (SUV 7.8). My chemo-oncologist says that particular lymph node is almost always associated with breast cancer and that the incidence of endometrial cancer metasticizing to underarm nodes is less than 1%. SOOOOOO, he's thinking this just MAY be a new PRIMARY cancer (Breast cancer) and the breast cancer oncologist thinks I should have a sonogram-guided needle biopsy to see what we're dealing with here.

Has anyone here ever had endometrial cancer or uterine cancer FIRST and then developed breast cancer as a 2nd primary cancer? Do any of you know if that is reasonably common? (There are several several women with my same rare "uterine papillary serous carcinoma" who had been treated with taxoxifen following breast cancer and years later developed uterine cancer as a 2nd primary cancer, but does it ever start in the uterous and later start anew in the breast?)

The wierd thing is that my oncologist said if this was primary breast cancer it would be such GOOD news for me, because breast cancer caught early is so curable, whereas recurrent endometrial cancer is uncurable. (How bad off am I that a breast cancer diagnosis is GOOD news, eh???)

Thanks for any feedback from your unique perspective.

Comments

  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #2
    Colorectal stage III followed by breast stage II.....
    Both primary site...one was squamous cell (rectal), the other adenocarcinoma (breast). 6 months apart. The biggest frustration was both called for chemo, but the chemicals were different...so I had 5 different 'poisons' in less than a year. (Oxy and 5FU (rectal), Adriamycin, Cytoxin, Taxol (breast)). That was NOT a fun year!!!

    There is one theory that states that cancer attacks the natural immune system, destroying it's effectiveness. Then it can't fight anything that comes along, even a second cancer. It goes on to say that we are exposed to rapidly dividing cells on a daily basis (hair follicles is one), and that a healthy functioning immune system can seek out the 'bad' ones, but leave the 'good' ones to do their job.

    I agree, 2 primaries are in some way 'better' than 1 that has mets, but either way, well, it's still a stinkin' disease!

    HUgs, Kathi

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