NEW YORK (AP) -- A report says tennis great Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with breast cancer and that her prognosis is said to be excellent.People magazine's Web site posted a story Wednesday quoting Navratilova saying "I cried" after being informed of the diagnosis following a routine mammogram.
The report says Navratilova had a lumpectomy and will begin six weeks of radiation therapy next month. It added that the nine-time Wimbledon champion was diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS.
A surgeon in San Francisco says DCIS strikes almost 70,000 American women a year and that "there's only a 1 percent chance of anyone with this diagnosis would die of breast cancer."
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Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Funny? What's so damn funny about it? Would you think it was so funny if YOU had cancer?
You think breast cancer is funny? You are really sick. Maybe it would be funny if you got testicular cancer. You are a jerk. My mom is a breast cancer survivor and there was nothing funny about that. You are a misogynist and by the way moron men get breast cancer too but you are probably not smart enough to realize that.
You think Martina having breast cancer is funny? You're pathetic and a disgusting human being-- If you're human at all!
Martina, you're in my thoughts and prayers.
Martina my thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of need. And like the others you will conquer this as well. Never lose sight of the big prize and that is God will see you thru your darkest hours. Keep the faith and he shall as always see your thru this.
Its MARTINA, NOT MATINA
Any breast cancer diagnosis is personally devastating of course. But intraductal, non-invasive barely qualifies as a "cancer". It means the tumor was caught early enough that it didn't even invade beyond the first tissue barrier. 99% cure is about accurate. Pretty good odds. So I hope Martina tackles this as courageously and optimistically as she has everything else in her life.
hardly qualifies as cancer?? I had the same butwith a HER NEU 2 positive gene which brings survival rate to about 78%, also the reaction to the chemo can also kill you so I'm sure you did not mean to trivalize it but almost not cancer just is not correct.
You are either a doctor with unrealistic perceptions or a well read optimist. All it takes is one cell to metastasize to kill a body. Your stats are meaningless. The most indolent and low grade cancer of any type can be lethal at any time. Only doctors live in this fantasy of early detection,non-invasive world of nonsense.
Your comments are extremely naive. Cancer and treatment can affect each person very differently.
mary collins finn 4-07-2010 10:46AM
Any breast cancer diagnosis is personally devastating of course. But intraductal, non-invasive barely qualifies as a "cancer". It means the tumor was caught early enough that it didn't even invade beyond the first tissue barrier. 99% cure is about accurate. Pretty good odds. So I hope Martina tackles this as courageously and optimistically as she has everything else in her life.
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Excuse, mary collins finn, but your ignorance is showing.
"Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), also called intraductal carcinoma, refers to abnormal cells in the lining of a duct. These are tumors that stay in the site of origin."
I don't know what your background is, but DCIS (ductal CARCINOMA) is most definitely cancer.
Perhaps some research on your part, may be in order next time you decide to "preach from on high".
It is indeed "cancer." If a biopsy indicates malignancy, then it's cancer......early stage, but definitely cancer. It doesn't have to have invaded beyond its inception. A calcification cluster (the earliest stage of detection may not be malignant....yet)and should be removed simply because it has malignancy potential. Ladies......be sure to get those annual mamograms.
Phil You need to see a shrink,for you to say that must mean you have a serious mental problem.I hope the best for you in your therapy!!!
I had a lumpectomy in 1996 and was told that being it was only a grade #2, I would only need the usual radiation treatment and no chemotherapy. Of course this was quite a relief to hear that advice and the radiation treatment was easy. I was prescribed a pill to take, namely Tomoxifin, preferably for 5 years. My lymph nodes were void of any cancer. My advice to any person who is told they can either have a lumpectomy or a masectomy is, please get the results and grade number before you decide just to be on the safe side.
GOOD LUCK MARTINA,WE WILL KEEP YOU IN OUR PRAYERS !!!
ginny
martina was never as good as the williams sisters...no doubt shell beat this...breast cancer is no big deal if detected early
"No big deal?" Cancer is always a big deal, regardless of how early it's detected. I had the same diagnosis and treatment as Martina 22 years ago. Although I thank God that I've remained cancer-free since then, there always remains the concern that it can strike again. My thoughts and prayers are with Martina, and I wish her well.
I had the same diagnosis in 2000. Unfortunately, my lumpectomy couldn't produce clear margins and I was left no other option but mastectomy.
In response to Mary Collins Finn's remark "Any breast cancer diagnosis is personally devastating of course. But intraductal, non-invasive barely qualifies as a "cancer". It means the tumor was caught early enough that it didn't even invade beyond the first tissue barrier. 99% cure is about accurate. Pretty good odds.", any kind cancer diagnosis, even DCIS, is real cancer to the patient.
How dare you make little that kind of diagnosis. My sister said the same thing and indicated that she didn't consider me a breast cancer survivor since it was caught early before it had traveled outside of the milk ducts.
My response is that I was given no other option but mastectomy if I wanted to rid the cancer and hopefully live a longer life. I had to cut off an important part of who I was if I wanted to guarantee any long lasting future. Without that kind of extreme action, I was most likely going to get full blown breast cancer and who knows where it would travel.
So before anyone makes such a condescending statement that DCIS barely qualifies as cancer, if you haven't stood in my shoes, do some research first.
I got lucky with that diagnosis. But that shouldn't take anything away from the fear and all of the surgeries I went through to try to save my life.
No one who has not heard that word referred to themselves can comepletely understand the inner feelings. But, to be understanding to the person that couldn't get the words out right, guess they were trying to be "positive" for you. But you're right. Cancer is Cancer is Cancer. It is a scary word. I've had it now (NHL) for 15 years...doesn't go away. Some folks just don't know what to say. Good Luck to you and Congratulations on surviving it, physically, mentally and emotionally.. You go girl!
All it takes is one cell and then it explodes logrthymically. each cell dividing until detected or not.The detection is important and no one has a right to codify the "seriousness" because of its location. I am happy that they caught it at this stage.
Robin's comment is dead on. I had DCIS in my late 30's, two lumpectomies and 6 weeks of radiation later, I was told I had a 99% 'CURE' rate. At precisely my 5-yr. mark [which is when you're medically considered cured of any singular cancer event] the DCIS came back. Having no alternatives [radiation only works once] I also had to undergo bilateral mastectomy. Although I was lucky enough to avoid chemo both times, it can't be overstated enough how devastatingly real the fear of recurrence is on a daily basis, not to mention that I underwent two years of reconstructive surgeries, all complicated due to prior radiation. To those of you who have never experienced a similar diagnosis and treatment, think twice about before you casually state we did not have cancer. If I didn't undergo the treatments I have, I'd be dead by now or on my way....