No biopsy, no problem?
There is a rather depressing conversation this week on Cancer Compass: a woman’s doctor suspects inflammatory breast cancer, but the nurse won’t allow a biopsy for another three weeks, insisting that until there is a test result, there is nothing to worry about.
I’ll say it again: delays in diagnosing or treating IBC have a huge effect on the outcome of treatment. Just because you don’t know what’s happening doesn’t mean there is nothing to worry about. I really hope that in this woman’s case it turns out not to be IBC, but if it is, she needs to start treatment as soon as possible.
June 16th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
I believe I am the person mentioned in this posting.
I saw my surgeon last week. I spoke with him for quite a while. He explained my mammo/Ultra results to me and my family. Then explained needle verses core verses excisional biopsys. His recommendation was the excisional ASAP, as he believed me to have IBC. He asked for my oncologist’s name and said I would follow this surgery with chemo, then more surgery.
After my exam, he asked me to speak with his surgical nurse and go over a few surgical procedures. I can not believe how rude she was. I should have seen the writing on the wall because when we entered her office she was fighting with another patient who had phone because she was worried about upcomming surgery! She should not have called us into her office until she had completed this call. She then carried on about terrible this person was and how she was runing her day!
Long story short, she refused to set up surgery for last Friday and insisted I wait 3 weeks. I phoned my PCP as soon as I got home and she phoned the surgeon and got the surgery changed to this Friday. This same nurse called me and said even thought planned for Friday as she coul not reach my PCP for a pre-op it still might not take place Friday. (I was getting very upset at this time.) I told her no tto worry that I knew my Dr well enough to “walk-in” and get my pre-op.
I do have a question for the group: Is there any major difference between the excisional biopsy verses a lumpectomy? My Dr said he would do this first, then chemo, then more surgery. If it’s the same as a lumpectomy, isn’t that dangerious tto do before the chemo?
August 6th, 2007 at 8:19 am
If it is proven to be IBC (this can been done with FNA (fine needle aspiration) and Skin biopsy then it would be wise (very wise I can say) to proceed with Chemo as much as possible as for the tumor to shrink and then proceed with Survery…
In Ioanna’s Case( as per her doctor’s and MD Anderson IBC Center ) the tumor after chemo was vanished…and them she proceeded with Modified Radical mastectomy…I Do know for sure that loosing a breast is not the best option mut considering that IBC is most invasive / aggresive and lethal type of breast cancer I consider MRM the best option.
To finish I can say to beat a monster you must become an even worse monster