breast cancer and bronchiestatsis

pippi15

I was recently (this week) diagnosed with stage 1 invasive DCIS. I also have bronchiestatsis (chronic lung condition causing frequent infections) and am currently being treated for aspegillious. I would love to get some feedback, advice, etc. from anyone who has been diagnosed and has a similar story.

maggie15

Hi @pippi15, I'm sorry for the reason that brings you here but this is a good site for information and support. I have traction bronchiectasis caused by pulmonary fibrosis but a good friend has bronchiectasis like yours (infectious, immunological and genetically related. ) While the root cause of the problem and consequently treatments are different the resulting lung architecture leading to infections and exacerbations is similar.

You will be discussing DCIS treatment options with a breast surgeon and oncologist but will have to keep your lung condition in mind and your pulmonologist in the loop. My pulmonary fibrosis was caused by radiation scatter and I only found out later from my pulmonologist that I was at high risk of complications because of my medical history (subclinical ILD.) While treatment for DCIS sometimes includes radiation there are other effective options including lumpectomy with no radiation (sometimes taking anti-estrogen meds afterward) or mastectomy where rads is not needed. Radiation is safe for the vast majority of people but if you have an underlying lung condition it can be riskier. While medical specialization has its advantages it also means that cancer experts may not be up to date on other medical conditions you are dealing with. I was floored when the pulmo I was sent to was not surprised about what happened to me and told me a lung cancer RO would not have considered me a candidate for radiation.

You are being proactive about asking for advice in advance which will help you get the best possible treatment. Good luck with any upcoming appointments. Let us know what you decide to do and come back with any other questions you might have. All the best.

pippi15

@maggie15 thank you for your feedback. I will meet with the surgeon this week and feel good about what I’ve learned so that I can advocate for myself.