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Anxiety is real
Hello all wonderful women..I am new but not new. I have been lurking and posting occasionally for several years. My story started 26 years ago when my mom was diagnosed with BC at age 46. I was 26 and newly married. I am not sure what kind of breast cancer she had but it went from zero to 60 fast. It was so aggressive. She…
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Podcast: Low-Dose Tamoxifen to Reduce Risk After Chest Radiation
Low-Dose Tamoxifen to Reduce Risk in Women Who Received Chest Radiation Jan 6, 2023 Dr. Sandhya Pruthi explains a study on using low-dose tamoxifen to reduce breast cancer risk in women who received radiation to the chest as children. Women with a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer often take tamoxifen to reduce…
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Considering preventative mastectomy
I have been having unilateral, spontaneous, clear and occasionally bloody nipple discharge. After 9 tests (3d mammograms, sonograms, MRI, sono guided biopsy and MRI guided biopsy) my last biopsy came back with a dx of atypical sclerosing papillary lesion with epithelial proliferation with mild atypia and rare mitoses, as…
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Flat Epithelial Atypia and Mucocele-Like Lesion
Hi all, In my last mammogram, there appeared to be a 1cm of clustered grouped microcalcifications. I received a stereotactic biopsy last week, and the pathology report is as follows - Left Breast with microcalcifications: Flat epithelial atypia Focal mucocele-like lesion Microcalcifications associated with in flat…
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Considering prophylactic mastectomy
Here's my history: November 2018: ADH confirmed via biopsy. ALH discovered in same breast during excision. In the last two years, I have had three more biopsies (thankfully, all benign), the most recent last week for clustered microcalcifications in the other breast. Started low-dose Tamoxifen in October 2021. Had complete…
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3D Mammos Reduce Risk for Extremely Dense Breasts & High Risk
3D Mammograms Reduce Risk of Advanced-Stage Disease in Women With Extremely Dense Breasts and High Risk of Breast Cancer June 15, 2022 In women with extremely dense breasts and a high risk of breast cancer, screening with 3D mammograms — rather than 2D digital mammograms — was linked to a lower risk of advanced-stage…
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Dense Breasts and History of Breast Cancer
I have dense breasts - Category C - Heterogeneously Dense - and was diagnosed with breast cancer in my right breast 7/29/21. I had a lumpectomy and just finished 16 rounds of radiation. My tumor was small (3mm) and luckily no lymph node involvement, so no chemo. Because of the tumor size I also was unable to get Oncotype,…
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Low Vit D Levels Linked to Higher Risk in Black & Hispanic Women
Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Higher Breast Cancer Risk in Black and Hispanic Women May 3, 2022 Black and Hispanic women who had low levels of vitamin D in their blood were more likely to develop breast cancer than women with sufficient levels. Read more...
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Breast Cancer Screening Options for Women With ATM, CHEK2, PALB2
Study Suggests Breast Cancer Screening Options for Women With ATM, CHEK2, and PALB2 Mutations Mar 22, 2022 Women with ATM, CHEK2, or PALB2 mutations may benefit from starting annual breast cancer screening with MRI between the ages and 30 to 35 and an annual MRI and mammogram starting at age 40. Read more...
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Preventative Mastectomy
I was hoping to connect with some other women who have made the decision to have a preventative mastectomy. It's a decision I am in the midst of making, my family did not test positive for any gene mutation but I'm being informed that my risk is just the same. I would love to hear from other women what they went through…
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Recommendations for ATM info -both cancer and non-cancer issues
Hi Everyone - Made it ten years! I had genetic testing and have an ATM variation. My mom was tested, she was negative, so we assume it came from my dad who passed from prostate, bladder and Acute Mylodica leukemia before he could be tested. Fun times. Now, I am starting to get test results on my immune system - these blood…
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How to understand risk level and best risk calculator to use
Hi , I am totally confused about what my risk for breast cancer is now at my age of 67 years and having discovered incidentally I have a BRCA2 mutation 3 years ago . When I reread the info my Genetic Counselor sent home with me I received the following stats- cumulative life risk of breast cancer-61-77% to age 80 My risk…
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Considering prophylactic mastectomy vs 4th lumpectomy
Feeling frustrated. I’m 45 years old. I have been on Tamoxifen for the past 2 years following a biopsy with ADH and several other biopsies and lumpectomies including multiple intraductal papillomas, fibroadenomas, cysts, calcifications etc. My right breast is constantly producing junk. Genetic testing has come back…
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Advice about brca gene testing.
I am a 65 year old female. My preternal grand aunt (my fathers, mothers sister) and preternal aunt (fathers sister) died of breast cancer. My preternal aunts grand daughter was also diagnosed with breast cancer. I get routine mammograms' yearly. Every time I get a mammogram, I am asked about my families breast cancer…
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Testing Baseline Hormone Levels before starting Tamoxifen
Hi, I will be starting Tamoxifen due to ADH. My doctor did not suggest any tests to measure hormone levels before starting the treatment. Can you share your experience if your doctor has ordered any tests? Thank you.
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Share your Genetic Testing Story
Dear Members, Would you be willing to share your story if you have had genetic testing. We are interested in the following questions: What led you to doing the testing? What were your results, and what choices have you made based on the findings? Was payment an issue? How have you discussed these decisions with your…
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Member of the "6 Month Watchful Waiting Club", Unite!
Oops, meant to say "Members" in the title - guess I need more coffee! Hi ladies, just wanted to start a thread to pull together thoughts from many boards on this subject. I've been in the 6 month club for 5 years now. Like someone else out here recently said - if I don't have cancer now, I surely will get it from all of…
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P53 Genetic testing
Hi All, My wife's oncologist is suggesting that my wife get checked for P53 mutation after her local recurrence. Can anybody please shed any light on that? She is negative for BRCA1 and BRCA2. Is it really necessary to get this done or is it something we get it done and worry about it without any solution? Thanks
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Women W/ Gene Mutation Have Same/Better Survival as Women W/o
Women With Breast Cancer Gene Mutation Have Same or Better Survival as Women Without Mutation September 8, 2021 Women with a genetic mutation linked to a higher cancer risk who are diagnosed with breast cancer or ovarian cancer and receive chemotherapy treatment have the same or better survival rates as women who don't…
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Fertility drug connection???
Hello all! Since reading so many different forums regarding pain in BC (such as docs saying you don't get pain in BC), being 'too young' to get BC, and other sorts of dismissive things docs say-and the uninformed in general! Let me begin by saying I do NOT have breast cancer! I've had breast issues the past three years…
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Women With BRCA1 Gene Mutation Have Fewer Eggs in Ovaries
Women With BRCA1 Gene Mutation Have Fewer Eggs in Ovaries July 1, 2021 Women with a mutation in the BRCA1 gene likely have fewer eggs in their ovaries than the average woman, which may shorten their window of opportunity to have children. Read more...
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Removing Fallopian Tubes 1st,Then Ovaries=Better QOL for BRCA+
Preventively Removing Fallopian Tubes First, Ovaries Later Offers Better Quality of Life for Women With BRCA Mutations June 23, 2021 Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation had better menopause-related quality of life after having surgery to remove the fallopian tubes between ages 40 and 50, and then surgery to remove…
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Cancer not detected in Breast until Metastasized to Bones?
Hi everyone, I went for a walk with a nurse that worked in oncology for many years and she mentioned that a friend had discovered breast cancer which had metastasized to her arm and it was never located in the breast initially! I also read in some of these forums that once cancer had metastasized to either bones or…
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Podcast: Breast Self Exam
Breast Self-Exam May 28, 2021 Brian Wojciechowski, M.D., practices medical oncology in Delaware County, Pennsylvania at Riddle, Taylor, and Crozer hospitals and also serves as Breastcancer.org's medical adviser. He is a sought-after speaker on the topics of medical ethics and the biology of cancer. Medical and oncology…
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Pre-menopausal High Risk ladies... what choice have you made?
I'm wondering in those young, high risk ladies who HAVE HAD a scare before, like a biopsy that ended up being benign... how did you proceed? Anyone doing yearly MRI's on top of yearly mammograms? Is the constant waiting for results with that type of monitoring every 6 months unbearable? Anyone choose a prophylactic…
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High Risk Women Face Financial Barriers to Preventive Care
Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer Face Financial Barriers to Preventive Care, Even With Insurance May 11, 2021 Women with a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer face barriers to preventive care because of financial concerns, even when they have health insurance. Read more...
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MRI Finds BC at Earlier Stage Than Mammos in High-Risk Women
MRI Finds Breast Cancer at Earlier Stage Than Mammograms in High-Risk Women, but May Result in More False Positives June 29, 2019 Screening with MRI finds breast cancers at an earlier stage than mammograms in women with a family history of the disease, but this benefit may come with the risk of more overdiagnosis and…
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Am I at "high risk"? If so, what then?
This is my first post, although I've been lurking and reading a lot for months. I'm in the midst of what feels like an incredibly slow process to sort out an abnormal screening mammogram, in September (2 areas of microcalcifications). Next came diagnostic mammogram, which was deemed to BIRADS 4a (late September). Then…
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ADH without any more suspicious mammos
it seems like all I've been reading on here about ADH “surveillance" is women having frequent abnormal mammos, and repeated biopsies or excisions biopsies which sometimes remain benign or sometimes turn into DCIS or worse. The literature and pros tell us not to worry, that most ADH isn't upgraded upon excision, and doesn't…
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Concerned and needing tips to help with the waiting game!
Hello, I came here last week and reading others stories helped, but now I find myself in an extended waiting game and am stressing too much! I have a family history of breast cancer on my mothers side. My grandmother died from breast cancer when she was 41 or 42 years old. She had 5 daughters including my mother and two of…