Hello there and thanks for getting in touch

I am very sorry to hear you lost your mum to secondary breast cancer last year, I can't begin to imagine what a difficult time this has been for you all.

It is understandable to have some questions but without being directly involved in any patients care or having access to medical records it is difficult for us to comment into any individual situation.

I don't know if the family have had the chance to speak with someone at the hospital your mum was under to see if anyone can go through what may have happened or possibly been missed with you all.

Unfortunately there is always a possibility of a cancer coming back after treatment. Whilst this is most likely to happen within a couple of years after the initial treatment for some this happens much later, and in some cases decades after.

The follow up of patients will vary in time frame and tests depending on the type and stage of cancer. In breast cancer a mammogram is designed to try and pick up a local recurrence where as other scans may be requested as and when other symptoms arise to check for signs of a secondary recurrence. Patients are usually closely monitored for the first few years following diagnosis including a discussion when the patient will be asked by the doctor how they are feeling so that any new symptom can be investigated, as needed.

As I say we don't know what happened with your mum and why the symptoms she had been experiencing weren't looked into further. Symptoms often have more than one cause so it is difficult to say whether your mum's pain and limited mobility were due to the cancer or something like arthritis, as you mentioned.

I can't be sure but I can only guess that the reason your mum's mammogram was clear before her diagnosis was because the cancer cells from the breast had travelled to other parts of the body causing secondary breast cancer, that wouldn't be picked up by the mammogram. This is why it is important that patients let their doctor know about any new or ongoing symptoms along the way so the right tests can be arranged to investigate the cause further. 

It must be upsetting for you that this was picked up so late in the day for your mum where nothing else could be done. I hope you are able to get some more answers from the hospital and doctors involved to help you process and come to terms with this better.

Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Take care

Naomi