Topic: Neoadjuvant chemo and breast pain

Dear Nancy,

Hi again! Yes, yes, yes! Every blasted time I have chemo, I experience days of pain to the tumor site in the breast, as well as in the huge axillary lymph node that was also biopsied and showed positive for cancer spread.

I am assuming the pain indicates the tumor is "protesting" being told to get the hell out (sort of like the green mucus man in the TV ad for Mucinex) because my mass is shrinking, as is the axillary node.

To be on the safe side, you need to ask your oncologist (and I should do the same). But I'll bet you anything it's the cancer protesting and reacting the attack -- after all, it is made up of living cells.

Love,

Annie Tumor Breath

Just chiming in here -- ask your doctors what they think, but I think the pain may also be evidence of the "clean-up crew" -- different types of white cells, macrophages, etc. flocking to the scene to cart away the dead tumor cells. 

(Macrophage literally means "big eater" -- it's a big white cell whose job is to scavenge for dead cells, engulf them and become eliminated -- usually through our normal pathway for "elimination" of solid waste!  The macrophage is scavenger and disposable-biohazard-containment-receptacle all in one.)

Nancy,

I also had breast pain with neo adj chemo but I also did a have a biopsy during which my surgeon ended removing some of my tumor 3 days before my 1st chemo. So I could not tell if my pain was from more cancer growing, or the cancer cells protesting the chemo and the remaining tumor dying (I still have plenty of cancer left in the breast) or recovery from the biopsy which ended up being somewhat of a lumpectomy. So I have no answers for you except to say that yes I had it too but do not know why. That said I am now done with 5 chemo's and do not have pain anymore in the breast.

Hopefully, your MRI and PET will confirm that the pain was the tumor dying. I also do not trust u/s. My u/s showed it to be only 2.5 cms!

Yay!!!  It died and your hardworking healthy cells carted it all away!!!

I'm resurrecting this thread from May, because I have been having pain in the tail of my not-yet-removed cancer breast. The tail is the part under your arm, just before your armpit.

It aches, and if I press on it, it hurts. No palpable lump or thickening. And sometimes, I feel the ache move down the underside of my arm. Sometimes it feels like a nerve buzz...you know, when someone has hit your nerve taking blood.

Anyone have anything similar with their neoadjuvant treatment? I'm about four weeks from my last neo treatment, and won't have surgery for another three weeks. Adjuvant chemo won't be for three weeks after that.

Before this bc I'd just say, "Must have been the way I slept last night" or "Must have bumped into something" but you KNOW how this disease changes your whole perspective.

petelzmom, well, I'm post surgery now (bilat mx) and the pain is a different thing altogether. Now I know what's causing it...the removal of breast and lymph nodes. Things are achy now, which is understandable. Tylenol achy so it's manageable.