Hello lung and breast cancer found at same time terrified

You are among friends on here ziggy. We have all more or less been through what you are going through., it's tough. The only comfort I can offer you is that quite a lot of us have survived. I had a big 80mm taken out of my bowel in 03, then last October some more taken out of my lung. I'm feeling o/k and more or less myself and back to normal. Once you get through it there's no reason why you shouldn't be the same. 

It's bloody annoying but here we are. Others on here will be along shortly to help you. We are all friends

Thankyou jagman im in floods of tears here. my husband keeps saying they have caught it early it will be ok. just cant seem to find the light at the end of the tunnel.im terrified. i hope i find your strenght. im glad your keeping well.

Hi ziggyzed welcome to the group, but sorry you have reason to join us here. I am not surprised that you are feeling overwhelmed by this news. Your husband is right, it sounds like this has been caught early. You are in the worst position at the moment, in limbo not knowing what the treatment will be, but hopefully you will find out soon. There are so many treatment options available for lung cancer and far more people are living longer lives with a lung cancer diagnoses than ever. The thing to remember is that everything that you are feeling at the moment is normal. This fear you are feeling will pass once you start your treatment and you will feel like you are taking back control of the situation. Good luck with the next appointment, please let us know how you get on. 

Hi Ziggyzed, I'm so sorry to hear that you have this double diagnosis and yes, it must be terrifying - not one, but two cancers.  I had something a little similar in 2017,when I was diagnosed with a 7 cm tumour in the upper lobe of my right lung - they said it was Stage 2B.  I was sent for a PET scan before surgery, and there was an area in my bowel (saecum) that lit up showing something was growing there too.  They wanted to do a colonoscopy before the planned lobectomy on my lung, and I didn't know what to have done first, but one of the wise doctors said to me there's a heirarchy to these things: 1) heart, 2) lungs and then 3) everything else.  So I managed to delay the bowel investigation until after I'd had the important surgery to remove the tumour on my lung, and re-scheduled the colonoscopy for later (I actually had it 3 weeks later...) Four colonoscopies later they removed a benign adenoma, and I've refused further investigations on that....   But here I am 8 years later having put my lung first!  Long story short, I've had surgery, chemo, radiation and immunotherapy, but last year I was discharged from care because there was no evidence of recurrence of the lung cancer.  Maybe you could take advice from the team who diagnosed the lung cancer?  Weighing the odds I would think that treating that, and yes, with surgery, would take first priority because it's only Stage 1 which gives you a very good chance of fixing it!  Then you can deal with the breast which, in terms of percentages, has a much higher survival rate.  Good luck to you, I can well imagine your shock and fear.  Two cancers at the same time is really unfair!  I found that the way to cope was to look everything square in the face, absorb the news, and then take as much grace as you can from each day because each day is a gift.  Be strong!   

hello everyone,thankyou for your replys. my lung operation is next tuesday. both lung and breast doctors dont think both cancers are linked. they are both stage 1 so lung first then breast operation 6 to 8 weeks after. my head is all over the place. had a panic attack in asda other day. now i dont want to go out. ive never felt overwhelmed and scared,its doing my head in.x

Hi Ziggyzed, Hope you are not feeling to bad after your lung op, went through the same last October. Similar to you, diagnosed with bc in 2023, for the second time after 32 years, same breast, had mastectomy, all good, no spread. Within the year diagnosed with unconnected lung cancer, small tumour had a wedge taken out. Roll on today, waiting a ct scan as a nodule has shown up on the surgical site. Just to add, this is because the op included a partial decortication as my lung had many adhesions caused by radiotherapy years ago which in those days could affect organs. Because of this they could not guarantee a clear margin so I suspect if it is back, this is the reason. Generally though, as you can see in this forum, early lung cancer can be cured. 

Good luck with your recovery and your breast op. Hopefully for you surgery will be the end of it all, we are much stronger than we know when it comes to facing cancer. xx

Hi Casmo

Just to say, what a shame that your breast cancer from 32 year's ago recurred, and a lung cancer.

I had right sided breast cancer which had spread to my lymph nodes stage 2, 35 year's ago, and was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2023. I originally thought breast cancer was happening again with my left breast because I was having slight discomfort in a tiny area in my upper left breast if I used my left arm too much, but after a GP visit, X-ray and CT scan with contrast, it turned out to be a 2.5cm lung lesion, after a biopsy I was diagnosed with NSCLC stage 1 adenocarcinoma. I just opted for SABR radiotherapy and finished my treatment on 15 December 2023, thankfully all my follow ups since have been positive with, in the cancer team's words, "a curable outcome".

Because of my past history of breast cancer, the cancer team thought it prudent to do a PET scan to get a better picture overall, but thankfully both right and left breasts are fine and, like you, I have a lot of scar tissue and fibrosis in the upper part of my right lung due to the radiotherapy I had for the breast cancer. As you say, back in those days the radiotherapy could be quite brutal on surrounding organs, I had 36 sessions and a lot of skin burning around my right breast, and I was also having the radiotherapy to my neck nodes and axillary nodes, the same burning happened in those areas as well. With my SABR treatment in 2023, the difference was amazing, I had just 8 sessions over a two and a half week period, my skin was fine and, apart from fatigue and a slight drop in appetite, I was fine and going about my daily life.

Very best wishes for your CT scan today, I will be thinking of you.

Regards.

Ann

Hi Ann

This cancer won't leave us alone lol! So SABR radiotherapy can still be given after extensive radio from years ago? I was originally told I couldn't have it as past history, but then told by another Dr I could? I have copd so it was mentioned at the time as an option if surgery wasn't possible. Like you 6 weeks daily radiotherapy and 1 week booster treatment, ended up with a purple shrivelled up boob as hard as a golf ball lol! Didn't think anything could be alive in that area so it was a shock that the cancer had returned.

What is extremely annoying  I have since found out that this lung tumour showed up on the CT when I had breast cancer, for some reason it was ignored. I had a stomach issue last year, was sent for ultrasound, which  led to ct which lead to lung cancer. Strangley my stomach pains disappeared after? This Tumour would have not been found! I had the first follow up ct in Feb, only got the results 2 weeks ago that showed a small  nodule on stitch site. Awaiting a ct in May, ( sorry misunderstanding, not today) to see if it has grown. Chances are it's back, I think they expected it because she said they wanted to keep an eye on me with 3 monthly scans.

So pleased to hear you are cancer free! The roller coaster of cancer. My mother had 3 lots, each breast and womb, died at 94 cancer free for 16 years. Dad lung cancer, 71, gone in less than 3 months, this was 25 years ago. I have a habit of getting everything they got lol, yet my brother, 70, never even been in hospital, nothing, perfectly healthy.

Anyway, onwards and upwards, we just carry on dealing with the cards dealt to us and knocking that cancer back down every time it rears its ugliness! 

Take good care of yourself

Carol

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Regarding can you or can't you have SABR. We never seem to get the same opinion off various consultants. About a year after I had finished the treatment for my breast cancer (surgery and radiotherapy), I became perimenopausal, I was 41 at the time. The oncology consultant said it was not an effect of the cancer treatment, but I they referred me to a gynaecologist, and after hormone tests etc., the consultant gynaecologist confirmed I was going through an early menopause and she believed it was brought on by the cancer treatment. So two conflicting opinions.

Fast forward to 2023, the only option I was given was surgery for my lung cancer involving removal of the top left lobe, which I thought was a bit drastic for a small early stage cancer. so I did some research and discovered SABR, so when I saw the oncologist I told him I wanted to refuse surgery and have SABR instead. He said I couldn't have it because of my previous radiotherapy on the right side, also the lesion was close to my oesophagus, but after a long discussion he said he would refer me to another oncologist who was also a specialist in SABR.

Anyway, some days later I received a telephone call from the second oncologist and we had a long chat regarding surgery versus SABR. He said, after studying my CT scans and PET scan, that having SABR would be no problem even having had previous radiotherapy. He said because the lesion was 2.5cm, and SABR is only performed on lesions 3cm and below in size, and also because SABR just targets the cancer and does not affect surrounding tissues and organs. He also said that SABR is just as effective as surgery but without the risks and complications. It was a no brainer for me. The only down side was the fact that I had a 100 mile round trip every other day for two and a half weeks because only a handful of Cancer Centres in the UK have the SABR machines, but it was a small price to pay.

Another thing regarding surgery, I discovered that it is quite possible, although rare, to have a recurrence of cancer on the surgical stitch line. Apparently a cancer cell can be present in a drop of blood, which can fall back down on to the incision site before stitching. It happened to a friend of mine some year's back after her surgery for breast cancer, and she was given the same explanation too.

You cancer "won't leave you alone", I know the feeling because I am the only one in my family for generations who has had cancer. I think I must have picked the short straw when I was born 

Anyway, apologies for such a long comment, but I wanted you to know that there are options, but sometimes we have to discover those ourselves.

Best wishes.

Ann 

Hi Ann

Same happened to me, I was 36, through the menopause, all done by 42. I was on Tamoxifen for 18 months, I was like a mad woman! The difference for my survival rate with Tamoxifen was half percentage more! So came off it.

I searched stitch line recurrence, sadly not that rare!  I have just got to wait now, see what options I have. Thanks Ann for your info on SABR, I was told surgery always the best option, so didn't look into it. I was just  glad that Southampton said they were able to do the op, although with hindsight.....

Will keep you posted

• Carol xx