recurrence with pleural effusion
10-14-2025
Hello to all.
It's been confirmed to me yesterday that the breast cancer first found in 2019 has caused a large pleural effusion in my right lung that's been developing over the last four months.Can't say I'm surprised, but will speak more of it in the Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY forum group.
I will be joining the Monday afternoon or Tuesday night support meet-ups also.
Thanks so very much for this platform, and thank you for reading.
Comments
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@birdsndognow - Very sorry to hear about your situation. I was diagnosed as IIIB in late 2018, became stage IV in January 2023. I had some pleural effusion in both lungs and it's now gone. I think it is due to the stage 4 drugs I take, Verzenio and fulvestrant, and then maybe some deep breathing and lots of walking too. Just want to put it out there that it can go away. Best of luck to you and may you be on the road to recovery very soon.
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@birdsndognow sorry to hear about that. I’m on the same boat. Diagnosed in 2018. Metastatic as of June this year with pleural effusion. With Kisqali it’s under control and hoping it stays that way. I wish you the same.
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HHi All
I have had a few occurances of PEand a change was needed for my lung mets drug therapy
Difficulty breathing or extreme chest head pain can indicate ned for prompt respiratory check up
First combo evralomis examestane one weekintensive care due to fluid build up
Again late last year slow build up of fluid and chest ray ment that 1 litre of fluid was removed
All best Bright
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@threetree Hi ! Thanks so much for your kind response about pleural effusion. That must have been concerning, it being on both your lungs.
That walking and deep breathing probably did add to your healing. Beautiful autumn days here, so I'm determined to try to start at least walking my Border Collie again (daughter lives next door and has fully taken over dog walking duties).
Thanks again threetree, and take care!2 -
@raysal Hi ! Ty for your reply regarding pleural effusion. That is great that the Kisqali is keeping the BC at bay. Verzenio and Kisqali were two "control" treatments that my oncologist spoke about, but she's waiting on the last of the fluid testing results to make sure there's no HER2? Today I did start anastrozole. Thanks again and take care!
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@bright55 Hello ! TY for your kind reply! That must've been rough going through several bouts of PE! And you're right to mention that chest pain and breathing difficulties need prompt attention. I thought my increasing breathlessness was worsening heart wall thickening problems dxd early 2025. But then CT and PET scans last month; and a recent thoracentesis showed the big problem. :-/ Anyhow, thanks again, nice to meet you; and take care!
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I had a pleural effusion and was given a drain that could be managed at home. After a few months it was essentially all gone and the drain was removed. I’m stage IV with bone and liver Mets but the pleural effusion is gone. I had a good run on Ibrance and Letrozole and am now on fluvesant and liposomal Doxil.
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Hi @wren44 ! Thanks so much for your nice reply to me! It's good to know that PE can be dealt with, and sometimes even go away as you experienced.
Sorry about your bone and liver mets, though, I hope you are doing ok on the changed meds. I've got a lot to learn,.. I've never heard of liposomal Doxil. Nice to meet you, take care! BTW, love your moniker, I'm a birdwatcher from way back, both wildbirds and "indoor" ones.0 -
@birdsndognow - Hi, I think I made a mistake about the pleural effusion I had and I now think it was only in my left lung, not both. Something called "atelectasis" also shows up at times on scans for many of us, and I can show that in both lungs, so I was confused. (That's essentially "collapsed lungs" although it can be very mild and come and go; that's what I get occasionally. Deep breathing and exercise seems to make that go away too.) My pleural effusion was considered mild and they do still monitor it regularly, but haven't seen it in probably 1.5 years now (I've got bone and liver mets). Again, it can go away, so don't despair. Things like the drugs, deep breathing, and exercise can all help. It's not always necessarily malignant either.
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Hi @threetree ! Thx for the clarification on your
condition. The PET scan I had recently showed lower and middle right lung "near fully collapsed". And there's scattered nodules in the pleura, and pleural thickening. I really hope the anastrozole dissolves the nodules and plugs the holes responsible for letting in fluid.
Take care, and have a great weekend.1 -
@birdsndognow I haven't had cancer in my lungs but I'm also a stage iv patient and can feel the devastation this can cause. I hope they soon find a treatment that will work for your case. You may want to seek an opinion at a major cancer center if you are not already at one.
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Hi there, @tougholdcrow ! Thx so much for your comment to me. I'm a patient at the largest teaching hospital in Maryland. Someone told me, "if you have to get breast cancer, you're in the right place". I see from your profile that you have bone mets? I hope your treatment is doing you some good. Nice to meet you, take care!
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I am new to this group. Was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer of the lung this summer. I started taking Femara (letrozole) on September 18. My oncologist has suggested adding Kisqali (ribociclib) to my treatment, and I am concerned about the side effects. As I have shared with my oncologist, my priority is quality of life as opposed to longevity—although of course I want to live as long as I can! What she told me about average longevity of continuing Femara alone is 12-15 months; adding Kisqali increases average longevity to 60 months. I've seen other "averages" elsewhere. So my question to the forum is, does anyone have experience with these treatments and their side effects (I've already seen some comments about this; thank you) that they think would help me in my decision of whether to add Kisqali?
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I think there is a Kisqali thread here. Many there would have comments that could help you. You might also want to look at the Ibrance and Verzenio threads as they are "sister drugs" to Kisqali. All 3 are CDK4/6 inhibitors with a lot of similar characteristics, side effects, etc. I'm really sorry that you are dealing with this and wish you lots of luck 🤞.
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Thank you for the suggestions. I'm figuring out how to navigate the site and will look for the Kisqali thread.
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@copingwithstage4 - Welcome to Breastcancer.org. We’re really glad you found us, though we’re so sorry for the reason that brings you here.
You might find it helpful to read and connect with others who’ve posted in these discussions:
Early Stage Breast Cancer - anyone on Letrozole and Ribociclib?
Ribociclib/Kisqali with Letrozole - Any one on this combo?
We hope this helps, and we're looking forward to hearing more from you soon.
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