Bilateral Breast Cancer

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While recovery from surgery went well, waiting on the final pathology results was constantly in the back of my mind. Nearly a week after surgery, the much-anticipated phone call from my surgeon revealed both positive and negative news. 

The results from the lumpectomy on the right side were straight-forward as the invasive ductal carcinoma had already been confirmed for that side. The good news was that my right sentinel lymph node biopsy came back negative for cancer indicating that the cancer was localized to the breast tissue and had not spread to the lymphatic system. As a result of this finding, the right side is considered Stage 1A which is the earliest stage of breast cancer and has an excellent prognosis due to early detection.

Because of two failed biopsy attempts on the left side, I went into surgery not knowing whether the mass on the left side was benign or malignant. During surgery, a preliminary pathology test was done on the left mass, and it did not indicate cancer, so a left sentinel lymph node biopsy was not done.

Unfortunately the doctor called to say that after further testing, it was determined that the left side was actually positive for invasive ductal carcinoma after all. While it was not the news I wanted to hear, I was thankful that I finally had confirmation. I’m still a bit surprised at how well I took the news of being diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer…I think in part it is because at my core I knew it was the case even as the biopsy results kept coming back as benign.

Bilateral breast cancer can occur either simultaneously (synchronous)--which is my situation, or at different times (metachronous). According to the American Cancer Society, this condition is relatively rare, affecting approximately 2-11% of all breast cancer cases. At a recent appointment with my new primary care doctor, I asked her about trends she’s seen with other bilateral patients. She paused for a long moment before admitting that I’m her first patient with bilateral breast cancer. The other doctors I’ve talked to about it, essentially say the same thing…. it’s just a case of bad luck.

Now that it is confirmed that the left breast is cancerous as well, I’ll go back in for another surgery to biopsy the left sentinel node in order to determine whether the cancer has spread on that side or not.

The waiting game continues, and it will still be a few weeks before I know the treatment plan, but my spirits remain high. I’m doing my best to carry on with life as usual, albeit a bit more present, aware and grateful.

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