Take Them Off ... or Leave them On?

[golddusttwin]

Just this week it was confirmed with MRI (plus all the other tests, including 3 (yes 3) biopsies) that I have not only DCIS (non-comedo) on left side, plus 3 other areas that are either "worrisome" or "highly suspicious."  Surgeon says mastectomy is the "only way to be sure whether it is invasive or not."   He also plans to take a couple of lymph nodes, just to be sure.  

MRI report says:   "On the left, an irregular 1.6 x 0.9 cm mass in the 12 o'clock position is contigious with irregular enhancing tissue towards the left nipple with an estimated encapsulating ellipsoid measuring 9.2 x 3.6 x 3.9 cm in diameter (in order to provide a 10 mm margin about the mass).  Majority of the mass is indeterminate with plateauing of enhancement on the delayed images, but portions of the mass do show abnomal washin & washout, worrisome for malignancy.  From here, the irregular enhancement can be seen extending anteroinferiorly towards the nipple, and the nipple itself shows unusual abnormal enhancement with rapid washin & washout, worrisome for involvement."

There's more:   "A third deeper 9 x 8 x 6 mm nodule is noted just below the level of the nipple, with a fourth area of suspicious enhancement in the upper inner quadrant of the left breast, with the largest confluent area measuring 1.3 x 1.2 x 1.2 cm in diameter.  There is no sign of significant internal mammary or axillary adenopathy."

Surgeon says:   "Only way to be sure is a mastectomy, including a couple of nodes removed."    I said, "Lets take them both ASAP (had previous excisional biopsy 4 yrs. ago, was benign).

This process all started on my birthday,  when I woke up to a bright red blister-like thingie on my left nipple.  Has taken 70 days to get a final diagnosis (due to various screw-ups at different levels ... thankfully NONE at our local  hospital, they have been GREAT!)

QUESTIONS FOR the DOCTOR:  

1.  short term prognosis?
2.  long term prognosis?
3.  radiation or chemo (or both) following the mastectomies?
4.  Tamoxifen maybe?

HUGE THANK YOU to YOU for answering my questions.  So glad I found this site.

Only my wonderful husband is helping me to stay sane right now.


This discussion is related to Lobular carcinoma in situ.

[bluebutterfly2222]

p.s. In this forum, questions are answered by survivors and other volunteers  generally not identified as medical professionals.

Since you addresed your questions to "the doctor," when you have more details you might also want to post in the BC Expert Forum.

[bluebutterfly2222]

Most of your questions can not be answered from the information you have provided.

Your eventual tx recommendations will depend on what is found in the pathology report from whatever surgery you decide on--type, size and grade of any malignancy found, hormone receptor status, HER2 status, whether there is lymph node involvement, and if so, there would be additional tests to rule out distant mets and help establish the Stage of your BC.

Once all of this information is available, your oncologist will be able to discuss all of your
questions with you.

And feel free to write again, adding any additional posts to this same thread, so that all of your information will be available in one place.

Best wishes to both you and your wonderful husband...