So now you heard the words…you have cancer…you are BRCA positive…

Go on the internet & educate yourself as much as possible with the terms of your diagnosis. Find out the pros/cons of everything. ASK YOUR DOCTOR QUESTIONS!

Is your diagnosis:

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  1. Hormone receptor positive- (estrogen or progesterone or both) they have tamoxifen like drugs to block these hormones. They call this “targeted or hormone therapy.”

  2. Invasive or ductal carcinoma in situ- the cancer cells have broken out of the milk ducts. In situ means it is the earliest stage & the cells are confined.

•     3.  HER2 positive or negative-some breast cancers produce this proteins which spread & cause a more aggressive breast cancer- you will need more aggressive treatment.

You will need to have a consultation with a few doctors! Most important thing is to take someone along with you to the consultation. You will be receiving so much information- much of it shocking & overwhelming & you might not hear everything. It is also okay to call your doctors back & ask for more information or clarification at another time. You can ask your doctor’s to help you make appointments with other specialists also.

Ask your radiologist, medical doctors, clergy, or friends for doctor referrals. You will be surprised that time & again the same name will come up. You might want a certain hospital affiliation…you might want a one man doctor, or you might want a big cancer care facility.

You will need any or all of the following physicians- oncologist, breast surgeon, gynecological oncologist- perhaps a plastic surgeon for reconstruction…

So the day has come for your first consultation: Take all your test results with you.

Discuss the pros & cons of lumpectomy/mastectomy/radiation/chemotherapy/reconstruction options. BRCA positive people have an option of mastectomy or vigilance.

Chemotherapy is given as an insurance policy against recurrence of cancer. It is usually recommended unless your cancer diagnosis is very early stage estrogen positive breast cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes. You can also be given a test called “Oncotype DX” which tests for a recurrence. The lower the score the more likely you don’t need chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy if needed is available in 2 forms. The newest kind is called “internal radiation therapy” where radioactive seeds are placed into the breast beside the cancer. The treatment is two times/day for 5 days. The more traditional radiation therapy is “external beam radiation” where the radiation is directed to the breast for 6 weeks/5days per week.

There is a lot of information available on the web. I also know that it can be quite confusing-that is why I started this site! On our home page are links that I trust for information—go to them—ask questions—YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

 Please feel free to add any information here that you think could help someone else. Thank you.