Metaplastic
Hi
One month ago i was diagnosed with a rare type of breast cancer Metaplastic with mixed differentiation.
I have a positive lymph node and my surgeon recommend surgery first followed by chemo radiotherapy.
The doctor told me that my prognosis is not so good and i might have one or two years with good quality of life due to the nature of my cancer.
I'm very overwhelmed by all of this and I don't know what to expect or even if would go for treatment other than the surgery
Comments
-
HI @meme1990, and welcome to the Breastcancer.org community. We're so very sorry for the reasons that bring you here, but we're really glad you've found us. You're sure to find this a safe space full of amazing members always willing to offer advice, information, encouragement, and support — we're all here for you!
While you wait for support from others here, we wanted to share this information about Metaplastic Breast Cancers:
"Metaplastic carcinomas account for less than 1% of all breast cancers. Metaplastic breast cancers contain abnormal ductal cells, but also contain cells that look like the soft tissue and connective tissue in the breast. The ductal cells have changed their form to become completely different cells, though it’s not clear how or why this happens. When cells change form it’s called metaplasia, which gives this type of breast cancer its name. Metaplastic breast cancer is considered more aggressive and is usually high grade and triple-negative."
Do you happen to know your hormone receptor status and HER2 status? Also, do you know the stage of your breast cancer?
As for prognosis - no doctor should ever put a timeline on you. There are many treatments these days with great potential to help you live a long, happy, healthy life. Read more about understanding prognosis. Perhaps it's time for a second opinion?
There're also this helpful thread that you can join to introduce yourself and share your story - you'll find great support there!
We hope you find this information helpful. Please let us know what else we can help answer for you!
—The Mods
0 -
Hi @meme1990, I'm sorry that you have to deal with an unusual type of breast cancer since it's harder to find others in the same situation. The mods referenced some great information. The most important suggestion might be getting a second opinion from a NCI designated cancer center or a large teaching hospital since they see and treat rare types of cancer. I traveled 100 miles each way since I live in a rural location and am happy I did this. Even if you receive some of your treatment close to home having it guided by up-to-date research often means a better outcome. All the best.
0 -
Hello @meme1990, and I'm here to support you, as another type of rare cancer subtype experiencer, although I had no direct experience with Metaplastic specifically. I came across some articles.
Everything is relative. Please be aware that..
"These tumors are often more advanced at presentation relative to breast cancer broadly", which is likely why they may appear more aggressive.METAPLASTIC BREAST CANCER: CHARACTERISTICS AND SURVIVAL OUTCOMES
"In the entire cohort, the two-year overall survival (OS) and five-year OS were 79% and 69%, respectively, and the two-year progression-free survival (PFS) and five-year PFS were 72% and 61%, respectively."
"No validated prognostic markers have been identified."
Since you currently do not have lung and brain mets as independent prognostic factors, please destress and enjoy life. Please, you be the judge and please continue to advocate for yourself as you are now doing. Nobody can put a timeline on life and health except our Creator. Believe in yourself always.
https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/breastmalignantmetaplastic.html
"...recent Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) study suggests SIMILAR SURVIVAL with HER2-positive metaplastic breast cancer and HER2-positive conventional invasive ductal breast carcinoma."
Source: EARLY AND LOCALLY ADVANCED METAPLASTIC BREAST CANCER: PRESENTATION AND SURVIVAL BY RECEPTOR STATUS IN SURVEILLANCE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND END RESULTS (SEER) 2010–2014
Oncologist. 2018; 23:481-488https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(21)00549-8/fulltext
METAPLASTIC BREAST CANCER: CURRENT UNDERSTANDING AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9517584/
https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/breastmalignantmetaplastic.html
"...recent Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) study suggests SIMILAR SURVIVAL with HER2-positive metaplastic breast cancer and HER2-positive conventional invasive ductal breast carcinoma."
Source: EARLY AND LOCALLY ADVANCED METAPLASTIC BREAST CANCER: PRESENTATION AND SURVIVAL BY RECEPTOR STATUS IN SURVEILLANCE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND END RESULTS (SEER) 2010–2014
Oncologist. 2018; 23:481-488https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(21)00549-8/fulltext
METAPLASTIC BREAST CANCER: CURRENT UNDERSTANDING AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
"In contrast, relatively rare HER2-positive MBCs are associated with superior outcomes."
"Axillary lymph node involvement is less common due to the propensity of these tumors to spread hematogenously rather than via the lymphatic system."
"A recent large study found 5-year overall survival for patients with stage I-III breast cancer to be 72.5% for those with MBC and 87.5% for those with non-MBC. When considering only triple-negative breast, 5-year overall survival was 71.1% with MBC and 77.8% for those with non-MBC."
https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/breastmalignantmetaplastic.html
"...recent Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) study suggests SIMILAR SURVIVAL with HER2-positive metaplastic breast cancer and HER2-positive conventional invasive ductal breast carcinoma."
Source: EARLY AND LOCALLY ADVANCED METAPLASTIC BREAST CANCER: PRESENTATION AND SURVIVAL BY RECEPTOR STATUS IN SURVEILLANCE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND END RESULTS (SEER) 2010–2014
Oncologist. 2018; 23:481-488https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(21)00549-8/fulltext
METAPLASTIC BREAST CANCER: CURRENT UNDERSTANDING AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
"In contrast, relatively rare HER2-positive MBCs are associated with superior outcomes."
"Axillary lymph node involvement is less common due to the propensity of these tumors to spread hematogenously rather than via the lymphatic system."
"A recent large study found 5-year overall survival for patients with stage I-III breast cancer to be 72.5% for those with MBC and 87.5% for those with non-MBC. When considering only triple-negative breast, 5-year overall survival was 71.1% with MBC and 77.8% for those with non-MBC."
"... low risk histologies do exist and are important to identify; these include low grade adenosquamous and fibromatosis-like MBC."
"Outcomes appear to vary by histology, with 2 recent large series finding superior survival for those with tumors with heterologous differentiation."
"In contrast tumor HER2-positive status has been associated with survival matching that of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma NOS, possibly related to treatment with HER2-directed therapies."
"...a single institution study reported that with median of 8.5 years of follow-up all 9 patients who received adjuvant platinum-based treatment for MBC were alive."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1526820923000897
https://www.clinical-breast-cancer.com/article/S1526-8209(23)00089-7/pdf
Excuse any redundancies. System was acting up. Hugs to you and best wishes.
0
