It's hard to believe it's already the last day of October!
So many things have happened this month!
THE SURGERY http://www.breasttreatment.com/
I guess the biggest thing for me this month was having surgery. On Oct. 14, I had lumpectomy surgery at North Hills Surgery Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Dr. Cross removed the "affected area", and he did a very nice job! I know I was in good hands, and he was intentional in removing everything that might possibly be cancer so that he was able to get clean margins all around the area. He also removed some lymph nodes which were tested and found to be "all clear" of cancer cells! The pathology report says No Invasion, so all of this is good news, and I am grateful to have dedicated doctors that basically saved my life. It was caught early, and early detection is the key to survival. Fletcher has been a wonderful and supportive husband through all of this, and I am thankful for him and for my parents that helped to take care of me after surgery, so I didn't have to do anything for at least a week! But, I feel like I have spent the entire month of October dealing with this, and I'm ready to move on to something else more positive. But what?
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
What is DCIS?
Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
DCIS by definition is a "pre-invasive" carcinoma (cancer). It is confined within the ducts of the breast. There is no risk of metastatic behavior because it is within the ducts. The cure is surgical removal.
There is no known "cause" for DCIS. It is an abnormal cell reproduction. This means that these "cancer" cells don't know when to stop dividing, and eventually there are enough cells to make a lump or swelling called a tumor.
If it's a "benign" tumor, that means that it will not spread into nearby healthy tissue. If it's a "malignant" tumor, then it will invade surrounding healthy tissue and may send cells to other parts of the body.
DCIS lies somewhere in-between benign and malignant since it will sometimes begin as benign and then at some point becomes malignant. No one knows when this will happen.
Todays technology has made it possible for DCIS to be seen on a mammogram, sonogram, or MRI to such an extent that doctors are able to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages and stop it before it becomes malignant. Hopefully, that is the case for me.
What causes DCIS? No one really knows. What they do know is that there is an increased risk of developing breast cancer in families that have a history of breast cancer. Diet may play a role, but that role is still unclear since there is no known specific cause-effect connection between certain foods and DCIS. Too much alcohol, environment, older age, benign breast disease, and some reproductive factors may play a role in the development of DCIS. There is really no single cause, but rather a variety of associations since cancer is a complex interplay of genetics, environment, and lifestyle.
*If any "invasive" cancer cells are found, then the diagnosis is no longer DCIS, but becomes a new diagnosis of Invasive Breast Cancer. This can only be determined 48 hours after surgery when the doctors have had a chance to look more closely at the tumor and the surrounding tissues, and have the results of a sentinel node biopsy.
Sources:
1. www.breastpathology.info/carcinoma
2. http://dcis.info/
DCIS by definition is a "pre-invasive" carcinoma (cancer). It is confined within the ducts of the breast. There is no risk of metastatic behavior because it is within the ducts. The cure is surgical removal.
There is no known "cause" for DCIS. It is an abnormal cell reproduction. This means that these "cancer" cells don't know when to stop dividing, and eventually there are enough cells to make a lump or swelling called a tumor.
If it's a "benign" tumor, that means that it will not spread into nearby healthy tissue. If it's a "malignant" tumor, then it will invade surrounding healthy tissue and may send cells to other parts of the body.
DCIS lies somewhere in-between benign and malignant since it will sometimes begin as benign and then at some point becomes malignant. No one knows when this will happen.
Todays technology has made it possible for DCIS to be seen on a mammogram, sonogram, or MRI to such an extent that doctors are able to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages and stop it before it becomes malignant. Hopefully, that is the case for me.
What causes DCIS? No one really knows. What they do know is that there is an increased risk of developing breast cancer in families that have a history of breast cancer. Diet may play a role, but that role is still unclear since there is no known specific cause-effect connection between certain foods and DCIS. Too much alcohol, environment, older age, benign breast disease, and some reproductive factors may play a role in the development of DCIS. There is really no single cause, but rather a variety of associations since cancer is a complex interplay of genetics, environment, and lifestyle.
*If any "invasive" cancer cells are found, then the diagnosis is no longer DCIS, but becomes a new diagnosis of Invasive Breast Cancer. This can only be determined 48 hours after surgery when the doctors have had a chance to look more closely at the tumor and the surrounding tissues, and have the results of a sentinel node biopsy.
Sources:
1. www.breastpathology.info/carcinoma
2. http://dcis.info/
Genetic Testing Results
The Good News:
I do not carry an inherited gene mutation for BRCA1 or BRCA2 which causes an increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer. This is good news for my children because if I don't have it, then they don't have it! The majority of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer is due to an alteration or mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. These mutations can be inherited from either your mother or father. My recent genetic testing for this gene mutation result was: Negative! This means that my chance of breast cancer recurrence or for ovarian cancer is significantly reduced.
The Bad News:
I still have the same Ductal Carcinoma In Situ diagnosis which does increase my risk for invasion and recurrence and I still have to have some type of surgery. I'm still considering my options and taking the advice of the breast oncology surgeon to see a plastic surgeon and consider a mastectomy with reconstruction, or even a double mastectomy with reconstruction. It looks like these are my two best options considering the location, size, and chance of recurrence.
I do not carry an inherited gene mutation for BRCA1 or BRCA2 which causes an increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer. This is good news for my children because if I don't have it, then they don't have it! The majority of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer is due to an alteration or mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. These mutations can be inherited from either your mother or father. My recent genetic testing for this gene mutation result was: Negative! This means that my chance of breast cancer recurrence or for ovarian cancer is significantly reduced.
The Bad News:
I still have the same Ductal Carcinoma In Situ diagnosis which does increase my risk for invasion and recurrence and I still have to have some type of surgery. I'm still considering my options and taking the advice of the breast oncology surgeon to see a plastic surgeon and consider a mastectomy with reconstruction, or even a double mastectomy with reconstruction. It looks like these are my two best options considering the location, size, and chance of recurrence.
Our day trip to Gravette, AR
The Lemon Tree
Blessings
Just wanted to let our FBC Tomball Sunday School Class know how much we appreciate all of your love and prayers as we were moving to Arkansas. We love this gift that reminds us of you and the friends we still have in Tomball. Thanks so much for such a special gift. We love and miss you!
Hopefully we will be back to Tomball to visit often.
Homemade
Sweet.
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