Surgical Pathology Report

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mjfromtx
mjfromtx Member Posts: 49
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi everyone!

As many of you already know, I had a mastectomy almost two weeks ago with lymph node dissection. I have my pathology report and wanted to share:

1 positive Lymph node
Stage II (not sure if A or B)
They took 16 nodes in all with the one being positive.
I am a 'triple negative' meaning I do not test positive for estrogen, progesterone, or HER2/neu factor. Dr says I will not need radiation but would need some kind of chemo. I see an oncologist this Thursday at 9am.

What can I expect from this oncology visit Thursday? I think these results are good in that they got all the cancer with the mastectomy and the lymph node dissection, but they think I still need chemo. Is this true and why? Any thoughts you can send my way would be great! Thanks! MJ

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  • ceanne
    ceanne Member Posts: 1
    #2
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    pathology report
    Your oncologist will probably recommend chemo due to the fact the cancer was in lymph nodes. You will probably not have to have radiation due to mastectomy. I too am triple negative, stage II..not in lymph nodes. I am currently undergoing chemo adriamycin/cytoxin and will follow with taxol. If I choose to have mastectomy I can skip the radiation otherwise will follow chemo with 6-7 wks radiation. What my oncologist told me was....the reason for chemo is just in case in any cells did manage to get past the lymph nodes and implant somewhere else ...she also said in my case the reason for radiation is because with lumpectomy blood flow is interrupetd and the chemo can't get to that specific area. I will say that I "interviewed" more than one oncologist and they all had the same "recipe" and length of time for chemo. I too questioned why chemo with a good surgery....hope this helps.

    Good luck and God Bless!
    Ceanne
  • zahalene
    zahalene Member Posts: 670
    #3
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    ceanne is right
    The chemo is to go after any stray cancer cells that may have found their way to another part of your body via the lymph system.
    When you see your onco take a list of questions you want answered and take a friend as well if possible. You may get more information than you can digest and having someone else there to compare notes with later is a big plus. Or you can take a tape recorder and play back the info at your leisure.
    If you chemo is going to be for more than a few months, ask about a port. It is a small disc inserted under the skin in your shoulder which accepts the chemo via injection and is much more comfortable than multiple needle sticks into veins in arms or other locations.
    Ask a lot of questions about the possible side effects of which ever drugs your onco is planning on using, and also explore with him/her the available medications to control any side effects you might have. Sometimes our oncos won't bring up side effects, thinking they will scare us perhaps, or afraid too much information might 'predispose' us to react in some particular way. But my opinion is that it is wiser to be informed and know what to watch for and what to do in case any side effects do occur.
    Good luck and God bless.
  • Jadie
    Jadie Member Posts: 723
    #4
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    Path Report
    Hi MJ

    I was stage 2a. The fact that I had two positive nodes and was 49 yrs old (fairly young) and prementapausal (sp?) the onc recommended chemo. I guess at this age the hormones are going strong so they treat it aggresively. Dont know your age but that might add to the fact that you had a pos node.

    Please let us know what you decide.
  • Derbygirl
    Derbygirl Member Posts: 198
    #5
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    Path Report
    I was Stage 1, size was less than 1 cm, had lumpectomy and negative lymph node biopsy. Because I was triple negative and some other markers indicated the cancer may be agressive, the Oncologist recommended chemo and radiation to reduce my risk of recurrence. According to him, there was no other option. I started chemo 3 days later and side effects have been minimal. Good Luck.
  • Derbygirl
    Derbygirl Member Posts: 198
    #6
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    Path Report
    I was Stage 1, size was less than 1 cm, had lumpectomy and negative lymph node biopsy. Because I was triple negative and some other markers indicated the cancer may be agressive, the Oncologist recommended chemo and radiation to reduce my risk of recurrence. According to him, there was no other option. I started chemo 3 days later and side effects have been minimal. Good Luck.
  • cabbott
    cabbott Member Posts: 1,039 Member
    #7
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    On triple negative
    When a path report on cancer comes back estrogen positive, it means that estrogen "fuels" the cancer growth. For those folks, something like tamoxifen or like Arimidex (the ad with the pink boxing gloves) will work to stop or slow the cancer growth by interferring with or limiting the body's estrogen. If you are estrogen negative, that means your cancer is fueled in a different way and those meds won't help at all. If you are HER positive, there is a drug on the market that will stop or slow your cancer growth. You can take it all you want if you are HER2 negative and it won't help a bit. This means your medical options are limited if you are triple negative. Triple negative cancer can be the aggressive sort. That means it can grow and spread elsewhere causing trouble for you and your body. This is a double whammy for your doctors to help you with: possibly more aggressive concerns and few medical options. Yours has already shown the ability to set up camp outside the breast. Even though it is just one lymph node, take notice. I don't mean panic. Lots of folks with triple negative cancers are doing well with the medical treatment that we have now (though I would love them to find a sure cure for all of us diagnosed with cancer no matter what the type!). I just mean take notice that this stuff isn't totally small potatoes here. It is a serious concern. There is good news. The good news is that your kind of cancer, triple negative,usually responds well to chemo. Some research I have read suggests that your cancer will respond more fully to the beneficial effects of chemo than someone with ER+ cancer. More good news is that you have caught your cancer early. It was only one lymph node and you are only at stage 2. It is still a nasty beast, even if it is little now. The doctors are giving you great advice. Chemo is strong medicine, but given the state of the research out there right now, it is the best kind of medicine available for your kind of cancer.
  • kew
    kew Member Posts: 24
    #8
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    Robin Roberts
    Make sure you go on YouTube and search for Robin Roberts' videos. She has one when she shaved her head, one on her last day of chemo, and one when she took off the wig for good. (Also she was in a fashion show.) They are very informative and very upbeat.

    I say treat this disease as aggressively as possible. Make sure you've done all you can do. I want no recurrences and no regrets.

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