“It feels wonderful to not have cancer anymore”
Something was wrong. Pirjo was absolutely sure of this, as it had been several weeks since her mammography and she had received no response. It was the summer of 2015 and Pirjo, 66 at the time, had been screened for breast cancer in May.
– There were no symptoms, but I had a this overpowering feeling that they would find something in my chest. I’ve always had large breasts, and I couldn’t feel anything unusual in them. Yet, I had a hunch.
On Midsummer’s Eve, Pirjo and her spouse Timo were at their summerhouse in Joutsa, waiting for guests to arrive. Pirjo decided to get to the bottom of the situation and called the health centre where she had been screened.
It turned out that a small cancerous tumor, no more than a few millimetres in size, had been found in her left breast. It was a ductal breast cancer that needed to be removed through surgery.
Afterwards, Pirjo wondered why the news didn’t come as a shock to her.
– For some reason, I didn’t even feel like crying. I told our Midsummer guests about it and then stopped thinking about it. We were busy with other things.
Timo’s attitude also made the situation much easier.
– My unfailingly positive husband simply told me that it’s just a matter of getting the tumor removed and that’s that.
Life as usual
Active and social. This is how Pirjo describes her everyday life before falling ill. She retired at the age of 60, around the same time as Timo, who is five years younger than her.
Looking for a sense of community after retiring, they joined the Lions organisation of Finland and often attended meetings. Their days were also spent working on their large home and garden, as well as visiting their summerhouse. The couple also worked together in an enterprise set up by Timo.
– We travelled a lot. We had a tradition of following the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra on their concert tours in Europe.
After the cancer diagnosis, the couple continued their lives as before — business as usual.
No acquaintances in the care team
In August 2015, Pirjo went in for tumor surgery at the central hospital of her home region. The breast was spared, and Pirjo was prescribed 16 radiotherapy appointments. The cancer had not spread, and Pirjo recovered quickly. Control visits were arranged at the hospital every six months.
One year after her diagnosis, Pirjo was told that her follow-up examinations would be transferred to her municipal health centre; in other words, her old workplace.
– I immediately said that I didn’t want to get treatment from people I know. There were still a lot of my friends working there.
Pirjo was offered a change of health centre, but she had made up her mind to become a customer of Docrates Cancer Center in Helsinki.
Pirjo had watched interviews with Associate Professor Päivi Hietanen, a specialist in oncology who was working at Docrates at the time, and appreciated her clear and convincing way of speaking.
Pirjo booked an appointment with Hietanen and agreed that the follow-up appointments would be arranged once a year at Docrates. This was the routine for several years.
However, at one of the check-ups in November 2021, something came up. Pirjo had breast cancer again.
New examination revealed the truth
Pirjo had a routine breast ultrasound scan with radiologist Matti Kestilä at Docrates. Matti noticed an abnormality in Pirjo’s left breast, and with Pirjo’s consent, took a biopsy.
Kestilä was just about to go on holiday in the French mountains but promised to get back to Pirjo soon.
– The next day, Kestilä called and said that the finding was scar tissue from the old surgical wound. However, he wanted to be completely sure and asked me to come back for another biopsy.
A week later, a new biopsy was taken from Pirjo’s breast.
– There were cancer cells present. This tumor had tentacle-like projections and was more aggressive than the first one.
The old cancer had not recurred; instead, Pirjo had a different disease called lobular breast cancer.
Luckily, the cancer had not metastasised in Pirjo’s body, meaning that it was discovered in time.
– Many doctors might have settled for the scar tissue result, but fortunately, as an experienced chest radiologist, Kestilä wanted to have a new biopsy taken. I’m forever grateful to him.”
Quick access to surgery
The second cancer diagnosis hit Pirjo harder than the first one.
I knew right away that my left breast would have to be fully removed this time .
I told my surgeon Jari Viinikainen that I didn’t want a new breast. I had seen my friends and loved ones live a perfectly normal life after a mastectomy, some of them choosing to wear a breast prosthesis in their bra.
Pirjo was offered a surgery appointment for the very next day after the diagnosis. However, the couple had invited an interior designer to their summerhouse to discuss future alterations.
Viinikainen urged Pirjo to take her time focusing on the upcoming renovation, and the surgery was scheduled to take place after a week.
The surgery at the beginning of December 2021 was successful. During the surgery, Pirjo also had a breast reduction on her other breast to make them more even.
Pirjo was able to go home the day after the surgery. Additional cancer tissue tests showed that the cancer was hormone positive and HER2 negative. Pirjo was prescribed a five-year hormonal adjuvant treatment that prevents the production of oestrogen and, at the same time, the growth of cancer.
A new breast
Even though life returned to normal after the surgery, Pirjo found it difficult to wear a breast prosthesis in her day-to-day life. The bra would not stay in place and the prosthesis kept moving around.
When Pirjo had to come in to have some fluid drained from the surgical wound, she told her nurse that she would like a new breast after all. After the surgery, the doctor had said that a new breast could be constructed later if Pirjo changed her mind.
Pirjo’s new breast was constructed from her own tissue with a skin flap taken from her back.
– My new breast is not as soft as the old one, but it doesn’t bother me at all. The most important thing for me is that the new breast fits my bra and stays put. It’s a great relief.
Pirjo believes that the absence of one breast or the new breast has had no effect on her femininity.
– Even my husband said he didn’t care whether or not I had a new breast made. It was entirely my decision.
Worth every euro
For Pirjo, the most difficult part of her illness was telling her adult son and his family about both cancer diagnoses.
.I didn’t want my loved ones to worry.
Pirjo’s son and his family offered their support and kept calm about the situation.
This was also the case when Pirjo decided to become a customer of Docrates, knowing that she would have to pay for the treatments herself.
– I have never regretted my decision, because the treatment I received has been worth every euro.
“Everything happened in a flash”
Pirjo says that she is “beyond grateful” to Docrates for the care she has received. She particularly praises the speed of the treatments and activities. Pirjo often felt that things had been taken care of before she even had a chance to think about them.
Everything happened in a flash. It felt very reassuring. My roots are in Kangasala, and I kept saying that it’s hard for me to keep up with this pace, hailing from the Häme region where people like to take things slow, Pirjo says with a laugh.
Pirjo’s care relationship with Docrates will continue. Every year, she visits radiologist Matti Kestilä and oncologist Tom Wiklund for follow-up examinations, and once a month she has an appointment with physiotherapist Sonja Snygg.
The scar from the breast construction surgery extends from Pirjo’s underarm to the back and affects the mobility of her left arm. The arm and back require rehabilitation and home exercises.
– Without exercise, my arm would certainly feel more stiff.
No crisis or anxiety
Pirjo has not experienced a fear of death or great anxiety during her illnesses.
– I didn’t experience a crisis at any time. I’ve always trusted the care I receive and felt that I was in the best possible hands.
Pirjo thinks that the secret to her positive attitude lies in Timo, who has managed to keep up the good mood.
– Timo has taught me that it’s not worth worrying about things in advance and that we can get through anything. I don’t think about whether the disease will recur. Right now, it feels wonderful that I don’t have cancer anymore and I can live a good life.
The couple are travelling again, but after recovering, Pirjo has noticed that she enjoys the ordinary days even more.
– I used to lead a busier life. I needed to be everywhere all at once. No more. A simple, ordinary life is the best.
She is particularly happy about one thing.
– My biggest wish was to be able to witness my grandchildren growing up for a little longer – and it came true.
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Lobular breast cancer is the second most common type of breast cancer in Finland, accounting for approximately 15% of breast cancers. It is often more challenging to detect in mammography or ultrasound scans due to its vague growth pattern.
Ductal breast cancer
70–80% of breast cancers are ductal. Ductal breast cancer begins in the pathways that connect the glandular strips of the breast, where cancer cells penetrate into the surrounding tissue from within the breast duct.
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