Concerned about Wife's CT scan results
Been lurking in here for the past few months since my wife was diagnosed with BC and I've learned a lot. Been a tough journey so far but she's being strong.
First here are her stats:
- Age: 36
- Stage 1b/2 IDC + DCIS. ER/PR+, HER2-
- Grade 3, ki67 is 30%
- Genetic testing came back negative
- Main tumor was large, 5cm. MRI suggested no lymph node involvement and no LVI (lymphovascular invasion)
- She had a single side mastectomy with clear margins. Confirmed no lymph node involvement. Has recovered well in the last 4 weeks. The Dr's considered her "cancer free"
Sadly, due to her age and the size of the tumor, Dr's are suggesting she go through chemo and possible radiation. She starts chemo in a few weeks.
So before she starts chemo she just finished a CT scan and there were some concerning findings I think, particularly with her spine:
- Multiple ill-defined sclerotic findings in the left predominant 4th through 7th thoracic vertebral bodies.
No pathologic fracture. Correlate with bone scan to exclude osseous metastatic disease.
2. Multi septated bilateral adnexal cystic masses. Correlate with CA- 125 levels, pelvic ultrasound and/or pelvic MRI to exclude ovarian malignancy.
Does anyone have any insight or experience with what this might mean? I'm so scared and devastated because we thought we caught the cancer early but now there's signs of growths in other places. I also thought it was very rare for breast cancer to skip the lymph nodes and spread elsewhere so quickly.
Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you so much.
Comments
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Hi @ephan86, I'm sorry about your wife's diagnosis. Sclerotic spine and adnexal cystic mass findings on a CT scan can be either benign or malignant. Further imaging and/or biopsy is needed to get an answer.
It is possible to have metastases with negative lymph nodes. The cancer cells can spread via the bloodstream or lymphatic system without staying in lymph nodes. If it spread it probably happened some time ago rather than right after surgery. I thought I knew about breast cancer before I was diagnosed but I found out things are much more complex than what appears in the media.
Whatever happens this site has threads dealing with all kinds of circumstances and treatments so that your wife can connect with others in the same situation. I hope for the best possible outcome for her.
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Thank you Maggie15. Really appreciate it. Hoping for the best.
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The nuclear bone scan will involve injection of radioactive material, a 3-4 hour wait for it to distribute (while drinking water) then imaging to see where it may have accumulated. Biopsy may not be possible unless spine surgery is recommended to prevent vertebral collapse.
CA-125 levels are checked by a blood test. Ask whether a baseline PET might be informative. I think it’s a bit irresponsible for any doctor to proclaim a patient “cancer free”. Our cells mutate constantly but the immune system kills them before detection. Consider a 2nd opinion.
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