News;New kind of Breast Cancer

In    November, a rare kind of breast cancer was    found. A lady developed a rash on her   breast,  similar to that of young mothers   who are  nursing..

Because    her mammogram had been clear, the doctor   treated  her with antibiotics for   infections.. After 2  rounds, it continued   to get worse, so her doctor  sent her for   another mammogram. This time it  showed a   mass.

A   biopsy found a fast  growing malignancy.  Chemo  was started in order  to shrink the  growth; then  a mastectomy was  performed;  then a full round of  Chemo; then   radiation.. After about 9 months of    intense treatment, she was given a clean   bill of  health.

She    had one year of living each day to    its  fullest.  Then  the cancer returned  to the liver area.  She  took 4 treatments and  decided that she   wanted quality of life, not the  after   effects of Chemo.. She had 5 great months    and she planned each detail of the final   days.  After a few days of needing   morphine, she died.  She left this message   to be delivered to women  everywhere:


Women,    PLEASE be alert to anything that is not   normal,  and be persistent in getting help   as soon as  possible.  

Paget's    Disease:  This is a   rare form of breast cancer, and is  on the   outside of the breast, on the nipple  and  aureole  It appeared as a rash, which later   became a  lesion with a crusty outer edge.   I would not  have ever suspected it to be   breast cancer but  it was. My nipple never   seemed any different to  me, but the rash   bothered me, so I went to the  doctor for   that. Sometimes, it itched and was  sore,   but other than that it didn't bother me.    It was just ugly and a nuisance, and could   not  be cleared up with all the creams   prescribed by  my doctor and dermatologist   for the dermatitis  on my eyes just prior   to this outbreak. They  seemed a little   concerned but did not warn me it  could be   cancerous.


Now,    I suspect not many women out there know a   lesion  or rash on the nipple or aureole   can  be  breast  cancer.    (Mine started out as a single red pimple   on the  aureole. One of the biggest   problems with  Paget's disease of the   nipple is that the  symptoms appear to be   harmless. It is frequently  thought to be a   skin inflammation or infection,  leading to   unfortunate delays in detection and  care.)    


What    are the symptoms?  

1.    A persistent redness, oozing, and crusting   of  your nipple causing it to itch and burn   (As I  stated, mine did not itch or burn   much, and had  no oozing I was aware of,   but it did have a  crust along the outer   edge on one side.)

2.  A sore  on  your nipple that will not heal. (Mine   was on  the aureole area with a whitish  thick  looking  area in center of  nipple).

3  Usually  only one nipple  is affected. How is it   diagnosed? Your  doctor will do a physical exam   and should  suggest having a mammogram of both    breasts, done immediately.. Even though   the  redness, oozing and crusting closely   resemble  dermatitis (inflammation of the   skin), your  doctor should suspect cancer   if the sore is only  on one breast. Your   doctor should order a biopsy  of your sore   to confirm what is going  on.

This    message should be taken seriously and   passed on  to as many of your relatives and   friends as  possible; it could save   someone's life.

My  breast  cancer  has spread and metastasized to my   bones after  receiving mega doses of   chemotherapy, 28  treatments of radiation  and  taking Tamaxofin  If this had been  diagnosed as  breast cancer in  the  beginning, perhaps it would  not have   spread....

TO  ALL   READERS:

This is sad as women are    not aware of Paget's disease. If, by   passing  this around on the e-mail, we can   make others  aware of it and its potential   danger, we are  helping women  everywhere.

Please,  if you  can, take a moment to  share this  message  to as many people as  possible,  especially  to your family and  friends. It only  takes  a moment, yet the  results could save a    life.