Three types of Primary Breast cancer in both breasts

Hi HazyDaze

Thank you for getting in touch and welcome to the online community. My name is Joanne and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

I can see that you have joined our Breast cancer forum and I hope that you are finding it to be a useful source of support and information.

You may also want to have a look at the Breast Cancer Now Online Community. where you will find threads from other people who have been diagnosed with more than one breast tumour.

Now that you have received your pathology results, it is natural to seek further information about what that means for you individually. I hope this information on Understanding your breast pathology is also useful.

I would encourage you to give our nurses a call on the Macmillan Support Line where it can be easier to talk through more complex issues on a one to one basis.

In the meantime, I hope the following information is useful.

Multifocal breast cancer is a specific type of breast cancer where more than one tumour is present within the breast. These tumours tend to be located close together within the affected breast.

Bilateral breast cancer is when tumours develop in both breasts. This is a less common occurrence and there is some evidence to suggest that the incidence of bilateral breast cancer can range from between 1-11% of people diagnosed with breast cancer.

It is very common to look for research however it is very difficult to find specific information which reflects your own situation.

This Summary of current understanding and features of multifocal  breast cancers describes the challenges and conflicting research outcomes and we would always advise you to discuss the questions you have with your consultant and breast care nurses.

Their clinical expertise and interpretation of your test results will enable them to discuss the treatment options for your cancer. This will include consideration of your hormone receptor and HER2 receptor results as well as information about the size and stage of the tumours and your general health.

It can be useful to think about questions to ask your healthcare team prior to your appointments and to consider what further information you may need when making treatment decisions.

I hope this information is useful and please do let us know if there is anything else we can help with.

Ref JH/PG

Thank you for your reply Joanne. I was just wondering about research regarding the percentage of people in the population who have three different primary breast cancers any one point. I shall have a conversation with a specialist nurse to clarify this research.

Thank you.