How can a woman manage HER-negative breast cancer at 48?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am concerned about my 48-year-old sister. She had a lump in her right breast; she got it tested, and the doctor said it was 1.38 inches in size. After further testing, it was diagnosed as HER-negative breast cancer. She has mild pain in her right breast.

What are the other symptoms that we should note?
The doctor said it needs to be treated with targeted therapy and surgery. What does it mean?
Does the treatment mean that it needs to be taken throughout life?
Can this be treated completely?
Will it recur again?
What are the risks and complications associated with it? We are worried.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

The breast lump size is 1.38 inches, with no lymph nodes and no other lesions in the body that need to be investigated (CT (computerized tomography) scan, contrast chest, abdomen, pelvis), and it falls under stage II breast cancer.

The patient is feeling pain and needs painkillers. The other symptoms that need to be checked are skin color, involvement of the nipple or areola, and nipple retraction. Check for the presence of any ulcer on the breast, a mobile or fixed lump, or the texture of the lump, which needs to be clinically evaluated.

HER 2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) or neu-negative (cancer cells contain little or no HER2 protein on their surfaces), which means it is a good sign. We also need to know the status of the estrogen and progesterone receptors, whether they are positive or negative.

The patient needs an ultrasound-guided, true-cut biopsy (a minimally invasive treatment that uses a specific needle to retrieve a tissue core from a bulge or lump to diagnose cancer) of the lump. Chemotherapy (treatment used to kill cancer cells in people with cancer) cycles with different regimens for about three to four months or six cycles.

Targeted therapy is monoclonal antibody Trastuzumab (Herceptin) used against HER2/neu-positive tumors and chemotherapy (a type of cancer treatment that employs medications or other chemicals to accurately identify and destroy certain types of cancer cells) for a specified period, not lifelong.

Treatment will be breast-conserving surgery (just removal of the lump followed by radiation therapy) or mastectomy (removal of the whole breast).

The postoperative complications will be divided into:

Immediate: Bleeding, surgical site infection, skin necrosis of the flap, seroma (the accumulation of clear fluid under the skin, typically near the site of a surgical incision).
Late: Wound complications, scar formation, lymphedema (swelling caused by a buildup of lymph fluid in the body between the skin and muscle), shoulder, or arm with limited range of motion.

As your sister is suffering from breast cancer, you and other members of your family need family screening for breast cancer.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.