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A New Type of Breast Cancer
Please Read and Pass It On.
This is very important information on a rare kind of breast cancer
that is often misdiagnosed. Along my walk so far I've met two women
that have had it -- one is no longer with us. Please read this and
pass it on to all the women in your address book. thank you. In Nov. I
lost my sister (B**** B**** of Troy, Al.) to a rare kind of breast
cancer. She developed a rash on her breast similar to that of young
mothers who are nursing.
Because her mammogram was clear, the Dr. treated her with antibiotics
for infections. After 2 rounds and it continued to get worse her Dr.
sent her for another mammogram and this time showed a mass. A biopsy
found a fast growing malignancy; chemo was started in order to shrink
the growth; then mastectomy; then a full round of chemo; then
radiation. After about 9 months of intense treatment she was given a
clean bill of health.
One year of living each day to its fullest--then it returned to the
liver area. She took treatments and decided that she wanted quality of
life, not the after effects of chemo. We had 5 great months and she
planned each detail of the final days. After just a few days of
needing morphine, she slipped away saying she had done what God had
sent her into the world to do and now it was her time to go. I still
have tears as I write, but our message would be -- like the one
below-- to be alert to anything that is not normal--and be persistent
in getting help as soon as possible.
J****** B***
Ladies, take note:
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 went to my doctor for
that. Sometimes it itched and was sore, but other than that it didn't
really 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 there are not many women out there who
know a lesion or rash on the nipple or aureola can be breast cancer.
What are the symptoms? Mine started out as a single red pimple on the
aureola. 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. The symptoms include:
1. A persistent redness, oozing, and crusting of your nipple causing
it to itch and burn. ( As 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 aureola
area with a whitish thick area in the center of the 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. They will take a sample of your
breast tissue in that area to test for cancer. If the cancer is only
in the nipple and not in the breast, your doctor may recommend just
removing the nipple and surrounding tissue or suggest radiation
treatments. Had my doctor caught mine right away, instead of flaking
it off as dermatitis, perhaps they could have saved my breast, and it
wouldn't have gone to my lymph nodes.
This message should be taken seriously and passed on to as many of
your 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 in the beginning as breast
cancer and treated right away, perhaps it would not have spread. I did
try to spread the word through Rosie O'Donnell show on breast cancer
awareness, but it failed to trigger importance enough to ne announced
on her show last year. 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 cut and paste this information
into an e-mail and share it with a friend. It only takes a moment yet
the results could save a life.
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Urban Legend Zeitgeist: Paget's Disease of the Breast: Example