"Elderly" TNBC Women

 

Can't find a thread for this so I'll start one!

 

I'm looking meet TNBC women who were diagnosed after age 60.  I'm 65 and as I learn more about this type of BC I'm beginning to feel like the ugly step sister or horrible mother-in-law in the family of TNBC women!

 

Who was daignosed with TNBC after age 60?

Has anyone diagnosed with TNBC after age 60 been found to have the BRCA gene(s)?

What is the more significant factor in regards to treatment and survival rates: being TN or having the gene(s)?

 

I finally decided to go ahead with the testing even though I don't meet the criteria needed for Medicare or my secondary insurance to cover the cost ($3,340).  You have to have 2 of 3 fo the following:

1.) TNBC.  2.) under the age of 60.  3.) have 2 or more relatives with breast or ovarian cancer.

I'm TN but 65 and an adoptee.  However my oncologist feels that having the testing would be important in deternming my treatment options going forward.  So I finally decided to do it and then file an appeal or hold a bake sale or something! 

 

I'd love to hear from anyone who's in the same boat as me!

We could start a whole new sisterhood!

 

Thanks. 

Nana Mimi

I welcome this thread and hope other women in this age group post so we can all learn from each other.

Ann

sorry, I know you want to talk to women, on this thread, but I wanted to let you know that with the recent Supreme Court decision you can get your BRCA testing done less expensively. One company Ambry will do it for $2000, it is my understanding. If it is not too late, wanted to try to save you a few $.

and now I will bow out. 

and good luck to you!!!!

warmly,

Steve

I was diagnosed one week after my 62nd birthday (nice present, huh?).  Mine was found by my yearly mammo.  Never even had a call back prior to this mammo, so it really took the wind out of my sails.  It was 1.2 cm, no nodes, no vascular and in my right breast 11 o'clock and 5 cms. below the nipple (reason I could never feel it).  I had 4 DD A/C, one taxol (terrible neuropathy right away) followed by three DD Taxotere - then on to 33 rads.  Only one on both sides of my family to ever have cancer, so I too did not meet the insurance company's criteria for BRCA testing.  It was 4 years from diagnose for me last February and am thankful for each and every day I have been given, as I thought for sure I was going to die when originally diagnosed.  Never having heard of TN breast cancer prior to my diagnose, I naturally googled and read all the horribly depressing old info that was offered up on google - and, as all of us here experienced - felt doomed, totally doomed.  It's gotten a lot easier over time, but I don't think I will ever again be able to experience a cramp, an arthritis ache, a cough, etc. without automatically fearing it's found me again.  

I wish you nothing but the best,

Linda

 

I was diagnosed @ age 69 with TNBC left mastectomy @ 70 and I did not get the BRCA testing done.  I have decided to talk with a genetic counselor to see if I would be a candidate for this testing.  The only family history is a cousin on my paternal side who had breast cancer about 5 or 6 years before me & whose cancer came back to her abdominal area last year & she passed away from that.  Her sister my other cousin had lung cancer & died from that & my dad's cousin had lung cancer and died.  My brother had prostrate cancer but died from a massive heart attack the year before I came down with my cancer.

 

I had a history of microcalcifications in both breasts & a needle localization biopsy in 1992 at age 52 showed a suspicious stellate shaped nodule in my left breast at the 2:00 o'clock position was a failure as what they took out was benign  but did not look anything like the mammogram & was considered a failure & the worrisome nodule may have been missed.  After that biopsy all my mammograms came out abnormal.  Another suspicious area less then 7 mm showed up in 2007 in the 6:00 o'clock & an ultrasound said it was a benign cyst.  Needless to say with all these abnormal mammograms & my brothers sudden unexpected death in 2009 I missed my mammograms in 2008 & 2009  In 2010 I was having a nuclear stress test @ my cardiologist office & this cancer showed up in the 6:00 o'clock position by that time it had grown to more then 5 - 7 cm.  Thank God for that Nuclear stress test & my excellent doctors I am still here today.

 

I am beginning to think that they should do more testing & research into microcalcifications.  Maybe we would find more cancers a lot earlier.  Needless to say I don't have that much faith in mammograms anymore yet I will continue to get them  I do not know how they can tell if microcalcifications are in a rapidly dividing cell.  Anyone have an answer on this?