Pleural effusion question

Barbara K · Regular Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 33

09/2004 I got shingles on my left breast. The mammogram showed an increase in calcium deposit. The biopsy done 10/15/07 showed cancer cells. The surgeon figured it was only Stage One cancer and asked me if I wanted to wait until after the holidays for surgery.

I said "No. Do the surgery right away."

11/04/2004, I had surgery. Instead of Stage One cancer, there was a large mass in my left breast that he removed and he removed my lymph nodes from my left arm because the cancer had already spread there. It was Stage Three soft tissue cancer that reacts to estrogen. Fourteen of my lymph nodes that were removed tested positive for cancer.

I went through six months of chemo and then nine weeks of daily radiation and I'm taking Arimidex daily as an estrogen blocker.

January 2007, I had a bad lingering cold. I had pain in my back afterwards that I thought was a pulled muscle from walking my dogs.

February 16, 2007, X-rays showed a pleural effusion.

I had more tests, CT-Scans, MRI's and a full body bone scan completed during March 2007 and no sign of cancer was found in my lungs, my bones or any of my other organs.

The pleural effusion did not drain out on its own.

04/02/07, a lung specialist drained the pleural effusion (400 cc of fluid) and sent the fluid out for testing.

Test results came in on 04/09/07 that showed cancer cells in the fluid and I'm scheduled to see my oncologist on 04/13/2007 to discuss and schedule chemo.

From what the lung specialist is telling me, the cancer cells in my pleural area are breast cancer cells and the only treatment known is chemo. He says there is no surgical treatment for this.

Is this correct?

Would it make any difference as a preventative measure to also get a double mastectomy done now?

I don't know what to think. I don't know what my prognosis is now with the cancer cells found in my pleural area.

Does anyone here know what my prognosis is with this type of cancer?

Barbara K.

Barbara K · Regular Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 33

I forgot to put in the following information.

Age of onset of cancer, 52.
Stage three soft tissue breast cancer, left breast and left lymph nodes
Surgery 11/04/07
Chemo completed 06/2005
Radiation completed 08/31/2005

Now, I have a pleural effusion with cancer cells that is considered to be a reoccurance of my breast cancer.

Barbara K.

rlee · Site Admin Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 245

Barbara K,
I'm sorry to here about your case. Since the pleural fluid showed breast cancer cells, yes it would be called a recurrence of your original breast cancer. Unfortunately when cancer spreads to other areas of the body, chemotherapy is really the only treatment to control all of the disease. Radiation and surgery only help a local area, but not the whole body. Chances are you may have small microscopic areas of breast cancer that are undetectable so far. Thus, without doing more harm than good, chemotherapy is the only option left. One would have to do too much radiation to try to treat the whole body. A double mastectomy would only get rid of the cancers cells there, but not everywhere else. I hope this information helps. Best wishes,
_________________
RLee, MD

Any information provided is NOT intended to provide specific medical advice to users but rather to provide users with information to help them better understand their health condition and related care. All readers are strongly encouraged to consult with a qualified physician for answers to their personal medical questions.

Barbara K · Regular Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 33

Rather than have chemo again, I went on the hormonal treatment with Tamoxifen, low-cholesterol diet and daily exercise on my recumbent bike.
I'm now up to 10 miles a day.

As far as I'm concerned, using chemo is like using a sledgehammer instead of a fly-swatter to kill a fly. Sure, you kill the fly but there's a lot of other damage involved from the sledgehammer blow. And, what if you miss the fly? You still have all that damage.

I had chemo in 2005 and then nine weeks of daily radiation. Both the chemo and radiation accelerated bone loss and I had to have a total knee replacement in 2006. Then in April 2007, I was told I was stage 4 terminal cancer because of the cancer cells found in my pleural effusion and that oncologist told me the ONLY treatment for me was chemo.

I went to another oncologist for a second opinion instead. He put me on the Tamoxifen treatment. I added the low-cholesterol diet and exercise program on my own as additional treatment.

May 2007, I had a pleural effusion around my left lung and my left lung was half the size of my right lung. When I would turn around in bed at night I could feel the fluid sloshing around like a water balloon beneath my rib cage.

During the first two weeks on the Tamoxifen, there was a tremendous amount of back, chest, arm and joint pain all over my body. Gradually, the pain settled down and finally went away after the first month. By the second month, I no longer felt the fluid sloshing around like a water balloon.

October 2007, I was X-Rayed again. I no longer have the pleural effusion and am currently in remission and cancer-free. I will continue to take Tamoxifen and remain on the low-cholesterol diet and exercise program.

My original oncologist gave me a prognosis in April 2007 of one to two years without chemo treatment and two to four years with chemo and he was looking at me as if I were already dead.

I intend to survive for another thirty years and laugh in his face.

My Mom had colon cancer. Her colon ruptured and the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. Her physicians gave her a prognosis of six months. She took the first three sessions of chem and then stopped the chemo because the treatments made her too ill.

Mom lived for another 13 years and the only reason she died was because after my Dad died, Mom stopped taking her insulin. Two years later when we found out and got her back on insulin it was too late because she sustained too much damage to her organs from uncontrolled diabetes.

Thank you for your concern.

Barbara K.

classickmouse · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:51 pm Post subject: pleural effusion

Barbara K -

I am experiencing the same situation you have been going through - if you read this response - please e-mail me at classickmouse@aol.com - I would love to ask you some questions regarding your choice.

Mickie

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