Friday, February 06, 2009 Pauline Cole asks

Q: How can you tell if your cancer has come back?

I had a mastectomy last year and I still have pain in the area where I had the surgery,and I also have pain in my chest. Is that normal or is the cancer comming back, I am scared!

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Answers (2)

Phyllis Johnson, Health Guide

2/ 6/09 6:14am

Pauline, You may have some pain in your surgery area for a long time. That's not unusual. I also had a numb area running down my arm. Gradually my post-surgery pains have gotten better. If you are developing new pain, you need to call your doctor. There are many non-cancerous reasons you might have some pain, but only the doctor can tell for sure. If the pain is in your chest, please call the doctor today to make sure it is not heart-related.

PJ Hamel, Health Guide

2/ 6/09 10:53am

Hi Pauline - Recurring pain in your chest that feels like it's in your ribs can also be a lasting effect of radiation - if you had radiation. Pain in the chest doesn't sound like a sign of recurrence, but heed what Phyllis said - if you have bad pain in your chest, you should get it checked out, OK? Good luck - PJH

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Q: How can you tell if your cancer has come back?

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