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age 53, university professor
Bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction in 2008 after diagnosis of...
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
View All of Kate's Posts
I was diagnosed with IBC inApril, 2009, just fifteen months after a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. In September, 2007, I was diagnosed with regional LCIS in my left breast and removal was recommended. I chose a bilateral mastectomy to prevent future cancer, as both my mother and one sister ...
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Kate, ignore those numbers.
Phyllis Johnson
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 05:05 PM
Kate, I've known other people who had an IBC diagnosis after a previous bout with breast cancer. It does make treatment decisions a little more complicated, so you might want to be sure you have a consultation at a comprehensive cancer center that treats a lot of IBC patients. If you write me a private message and tell me the part of the world you live in, I can mention a few. Your current doctor will probably welcome a consultation and will also have some ideas about the nearest place with the expertise you need. An excellent mailing list for people with IBC is at www.ibcsupport.org.
Forty years ago the average survival for an IBC patient was 18 months, but with all the new cancer treatment methods those two to five year average survival rates don't apply to you. In fact, statistics aren't going to be helpful to you. They are just a snapshot of people who were in a study that started more than five years ago. (Most studies quote five year survival stats, so allow some time for accruing and treating patients then writing and publishing the study, and you can see that statistics are out of date by the time you read them. They are helpful for your doctor in making treatment decisions. You might find it helpful to read this post I wrote about my own experience with inflammatory breast cancer and interpreting statistics. There is every reason to believe that you will live long enough to see those grandchildren.
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Kate if you get this message email me
Anonymous
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 02:38 PM
I am 41. And 1 year out from breast cancer treatments and now I think I may have IBC symptoms. I just emailed my doctor with questions. April Haynicz HayniczJ@aol.com
Kate, I've known other people who had an IBC diagnosis after a previous bout with breast cancer. It does make treatment decisions a little more complicated, so you might want to be sure you have a consultation at a comprehensive cancer center that treats a lot of IBC patients. If you write me a private message and tell me the part of the world you live in, I can mention a few. Your current doctor will probably welcome a consultation and will also have some ideas about the nearest place with the expertise you need. An excellent mailing list for people with IBC is at www.ibcsupport.org.
Forty years ago the average survival for an IBC patient was 18 months, but with all the new cancer treatment methods those two to five year average survival rates don't apply to you. In fact, statistics aren't going to be helpful to you. They are just a snapshot of people who were in a study that started more than five years ago. (Most studies quote five year survival stats, so allow some time for accruing and treating patients then writing and publishing the study, and you can see that statistics are out of date by the time you read them. They are helpful for your doctor in making treatment decisions. You might find it helpful to read this post I wrote about my own experience with inflammatory breast cancer and interpreting statistics. There is every reason to believe that you will live long enough to see those grandchildren.