Cyst

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bonehammer73@yahoo.com - 04 Nov 2005 12:09 GMT

Hello there,
a quick update on my 1st yearly follow-up after lumpectomy, chemo and
radiation...
I've had my mammogram and ultrasound scan today and am not very happy
with the results.
I don't have the mammogram yet, but ultrasound showed what the doctor
identified as a cyst. She said that the content of the cyst seemed
opaque and recommended that I return in another three months. I did
have a large cyst aspired a month or so before BC was diagnosed for
good, but I'm not sure whether this one is in the same place.
In the meanwhile, my left arm and neck ache and having the surgery
breast squezed for the mammogram was like getting a Vulcanian nerve
pinch.
Anyone in the same situation? Opinions?

Thanks in advance to everybody
and take care,
Chiara

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alex - 04 Nov 2005 16:40 GMT

Chiara,
With your history I would ask for a biospy now, I don't think that is
unreasonable especially it is the same breast. The good new is if it is the
same breast your overall prognosis is the same, but you may need more
surgery, chemo, radiation etc. Sorry to hear you have to go through this
all again! Hopefully it is a cyst...did they drain it during the ultrasound?
Alex

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bonehammer73@yahoo.com - 08 Nov 2005 15:17 GMT

alex ha scritto:

> Chiara,
> With your history I would ask for a biospy now, I don't think that is
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> all again! Hopefully it is a cyst...did they drain it during the ultrasound?
> Alex

It has not been drained, however, at least it DID look like a cyst and
not a diffuse mass. I'll keep my fingers crossed and think that the
cyst that had been drained last year may be filling up again.
However, my annual follow-up is next Tuesday - I'll insist that they
take this bloody thing off of me anyway, and keep you posted.

P.S. In case it is a recurrence (knocking on wood), would chemo be the
same? My guess is that if it did zilch on the first time they would be
going for stronger drugs.

Thanks,
Chiara

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Tim Jackson - 08 Nov 2005 17:09 GMT

> It has not been drained, however, at least it DID look like a cyst and
> not a diffuse mass. I'll keep my fingers crossed and think that the
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Thanks,
> Chiara

I'd guess at the same.

No-one knows what the first chemo did or did not do - there were no
signs or symptoms before or after. This is "adjuvant" therapy, that is
it is essentially prophylactic, done to reduce the *risk* of recurrence,
so its benefit or otherwise can never be demonstrated in any individual
case, only statistically across a large population.

If this did turn out to be a recurrence then it is probably a cancer
cell which was for some reason dormant at the time of chemo, but has
since become active. Chemo can generally only attack active, dividing
cells.

Tim Jackson

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bonehammer73@yahoo.com - 28 Nov 2005 15:48 GMT

bonehammer73@yahoo.com ha scritto:

> Hello there,
> a quick update on my 1st yearly follow-up after lumpectomy, chemo and
> radiation...
> I've had my mammogram and ultrasound scan today and am not very happy
> with the results.

Hello,
an update on the update.
It seems I've been worrying myself sick over nothing. My problems
seemed to consist of radiotherapy 'hangover' compounded with cervical
pain and a pinched nerve in the shoulder. Doctors who examined the
ultrasound scan agree that the cyst's unusual look is due to it having
been previously aspirated. Very seldom I have been happier of being
told to suck it up.

Another problem that surfaced is that an abdomen scan showed an
enlarged liver with signs of steatosis, which has been blamed on the
chemo. This didn't show up on blood tests because the level of
transaminases etc. were normal. Just so you know that these things can
happen. Indeed, the abdomen scan was not on the test panel that I was
given for the follow-up - I asked for it.

Thanks to everybody
and take care,
Chiara

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