Cancer in Sternum

The cancer located in sternum is probably a metastasis from your initial breast cancer.
A woman may be found to have a distant metastasis of her breast cancer at the time when her initial breast cancer is found, or months to years later.
This happens because breast cancer cells can escape from the breast before surgery and may take a long time to form a tumor in another part of the body.
The most common places that breast cancer spreads to are the bones, the liver, and the lungs.

Are metastasis found in the lymph nodes located next to the sternum (mediastinal or parasternal lymph node metastasis), too?
Have you been checked for distant metastasis elsewhere in your body?

They have not checked any nodes since the 2001 breast cancer. At that time there were 4 positive. I had a complete bone scan, CT scan and MRI. Nothing showed up except the sternum area. A PET scan was conducted and I am waiting on the results.

Thanks
Terry

You are welcome!
If you only have solitary sternal metastasis, without evidence of systemic spread, surgical resection (total or partial) of sternum, can improve the quality of life and occasionally may result in long-term survival.
The prognosis of the patients with the mediastinal or parasternal lymph node metastasis along with sternal metastasis are poor.

Waiting for your post!
Marija

Channy says that she had chemo in 2001. How come that didn't kill the cancer then?

found out today that her breast cancer she got rid of ten years ago, took 5 years Tamoxifin for, found new homes in her lungs, lower spine, and pelvic bone. She was in the hospital for infections and fluid in her lungs as a result of autoimmune hepatitis drugs that resulted in sinusitis and a bladder infection that wouldn't respond to antibiotics. They did a CaT scan of her body and told us this bad news today at 3:00 pm then sent her home with an oxygen tank. She is upstairs right now. She will have to do intensive chemo, and we are all worried ,of course, but especialy because of her autoimmune liver, and the efffects the chemo may have on her system. First thing she asked for was a glass of juice(antitoxin) and her gel multi vitamins and Vitamin E gelcaps. I cooked her Ethiopian recipe of vegetarian lentils, and she gobbled two bowls of it , saying she hadn't eaten a bite of hospital food the last three days. We are going to try and stay positive, because it's all we can do. I want her to eat 5 little , healthy meals a day, drink juices, and rest. I hope she will listen to books on tape, because it is so hard to stop thinking " I have cancer all over my body, why me?" I want her to think, let's create the strongest body we can here, and fight it with hope in our hearts." I appreciate any comments or suggestions. Sometimes when people respond with their own stories it can shed light on possible breakthroughs to fight breast cancer. Marija, you seem like an angel doctor, by the way, and that is a great pic. I have a three year old daughter. She's 1/2 Ethiopian. I got pregnant at 45 all natural, so I do believe in miracles.