I recently got this via email, and thought it was important enough to post to make enough people aware of this form of cancer as possible.


Unusual Form of Breast cancer


A woman in our church also has this type of cancer which began as a rash
on
the back of her neck. She went to a dermatologist for two months before
her
regular doctor biopsied it. Last Monday evening the cancer doctors from
Little Rock had a forum, and not one of them mentioned this rash as a
symptom.

New kind of Breast Cancer - DO NOT DELETE
Please forward to all of the women in your lives . Mothers, daughters,
sisters, aunts, friends, etc.

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 effected. 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 i! s 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 forward 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.

Bumping this up, because that this is an important message that must be read by as many people as possible.

Thank you.

I knew about this, but thanks for making others aware of it to

I just think people should always go to the doctor if they don't know whats wrong with them. Better to go 10 times to the doctor if nothing realy bad is wrong, than find out you should have gone after you're to late.

AzurePanther said:

You're welcome.

Whateva said:

I agree; I would rather find out in the early stages of having a disease (like cancer) and to have a better chance of being cured, than to wait too long to find that the disease has progressed and there is no chance for recovery.

thanks for posting. the majority of my family members are female, and breast cancer is something that definitely has affected our family over the years. i will be passing this on to them and friends.

Chico319 said:

You're welcome Chico, glad you read this and that you will be telling your family members about it.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention Nan...very important for everyone to be aware ...

pippet said:

You're welcome, pippet, it was my pleasure.

Very scary stuff

Thank you for the information.

Smooches;)

MsMisha319 said:

No problem. The more people become aware of this, the better.

thanks for the info

Thank you Very important message, let's bump it up again.

TheDuck said:

You're welcome.

shellyevon said:

Most definitely!
[Edited 6/5/05 6:12am]

Awareness is good and there is no such thing as being overly concerned when it comes to breast cancer; the earlier it is diagnosed, the better your chances are.

wait....

Paget's disease???

PAGET's

Paget's is a bone disease, which is sometimes called osteitis deformans because it can cause softening and distortion of any of the bones of the body. It affects men more often than women and often runs in families. It is rare before the age of 40, but is increasingly common later in life.

AlfofMelmak said:

Chico319 said:

I think the disease starts in the beast and then spreads to the bones, as it did to the woman who shared her story above, and I quote: "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..."

psychodelicide said:

Complications

Problems may arise from nerve compression and weakening of bones. Bone may break without apparent cause (spontaneously). The increased blood flow may put a strain on the heart. Very rarely, Paget’s disease leads to osteogenic sarcoma, a cancer of bone.

So it's a bone cancer and not a breast cancer, a cancer non and the less. I think it can start anywhere.
[Edited 6/7/05 1:58am]