Diagnosis

On June 28, 2023 I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in SITU.  The tumors were ER+ and PR+ as well as HER2+.  The cancer was in the left breast at 6:00, about 6 cm from the nipple.  The largest of the tumors was about 2.7cm in size (about the size of an almond).

So, to put that in American English for those of us who don't speak in medical terms in our regular vernacular....

My cancer formed in milk ducts in my left breast, in the center of the breast below the nipple.  I had more than one mass, and the largest of the masses was "invasive" which means it  broke out of the duct and has begun to invade the surrounding tissue.  The smaller masses were still SITU, which means they were still contained in their original location (inside the duct).

The cancer had hormone receptors (ER+ and PR+).  This means it was fed by estrogen and progesterone in my body, both what I produce naturally and what I ingest.  It was also HER2+.  For more on what that means, you can read here.  But in general terms, HER2+  breast cancers have tested positive for a protein that promotes the growth off cancer cells.  Essentially, the cancer makes a protein that causes it to grow.  This makes the cancer more aggressive, causing it to grow at a faster rate.  My type of cancer, with two types of hormone receptors that is also HER2+, is also called "triple positive" breast cancer.

How did I get here......

Lots of you immediately ask if I found a lump on my own.  Especially when I tell someone my age (40) about my diagnosis.  No, I didn't find a lump that caused me to make an appointment with my doctor.  In fact, even knowing I have a lump and exactly where it is, I still can't feel it.  Scary, right?  Well, here's the skinny on my particular story.

I started to get mammograms at 35.  I had a lump my doctor found and wanted to have scanned at that age.  The mammogram showed no concern.  Then, about 18 months later, my mom's mom died of pancreatic cancer.  My mom had breast cancer at 55, a few years before.  Because of the two types of cancers in her and her mom, my mom was tested for any sort of gene mutation.  Her blood work came back positive for PALB2, which is sometimes called a cousin to the BRCA genes.  It increases breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer risk.  I also tested positive for the mutation.  So at 37 I started to go in twice a year to MD Anderson.  I would have mammograms in June and a breast MRI in December to keep a close eye on any changes.  I had a biopsy on my 39th birthday after they found a lump on the right side but the pathology was benign.  

I had dense breast tissue that always feels lumpy when I do self breast exams.  I couldn't discern what might be a lump and what is just my regular breast tissue. On one of my regularly scheduled scans they found my masses.  I had several on the left side, and even my NP couldn't feel them after seeing them on the scans because of how generally lumpy I feel everywhere.  READ THAT AGAIN.  Even my highly trained MD Anderson Nurse Practitioner couldn't find my lump(s)!!

So, the moral of the story here ladies, is go get your mammograms.  Don't rely just on the fact you or your doctor will be able to palpitate a lump.  They're sneaky little buggers.  Am I saying this to scare you? No.  I'm saying this because, as my mom says, "knowledge is power." Take your health and wellbeing into your own hands.  There's no better advocate for you thank yourself.