Can someone help me understand my test results?

laurenalex94
laurenalex94 Member Posts: 1 *
edited May 22 in Colorectal Cancer #1

As I'm not able to determine what these results mean over the phone today (have to wait until appointment), can someone explain if they've had similar results or what it entails? It mentions the following:

FINAL DIAGNOSIS:
SIGMOID COLON POLYP, COMBINED LAPAROSCOPIC, ENDOSCOPIC POLYPECTOMY:
- INVASIVE, MODERATELY DIFFERENTIATED COLONIC ADENOCARCINOMA
INVADING INTO MUSCULARIS PROPRIA (pT2). SEE SYNOPTIC REPORT AND
COMMENT.
COMMENTS:
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) Testing for Mismatch Repair (MMR) Proteins - Results:

MLH1: Intact nuclear expression / MSH2: Intact nuclear expression
MSH6: Intact nuclear expression / PMS2: Intact nuclear expression
IHC INTERPRETATION (#): NO LOSS OF NUCLEAR EXPRESSION OF MMR PROTEINS;
LOW PROBABILITY OF MICROSATELLITE INSTABILITY-HIGH (MSI-H)#
# There are exceptions to the above IHC interpretation. These results should not be considered in isolation,
and clinical correlation with genetic counseling is recommended to assess the need for germline testing.
**NOTE: Non-neoplastic tissue / internal control demonstrate intact nuclear expression.
This case has been reviewed by a second pathologist (Dr. Tagliente), who is in essential agreement with the
final diagnosis.

SYNOPTIC REPORTS:
COLON AND RECTUM
SPECIMEN:
Specimen Integrity: Fragmented
TUMOR:
Tumor Site: Sigmoid colon
Histologic Type: Adenocarcinoma
Histologic Grade: G2, moderately differentiated
Size of Invasive Carcinoma: Cannot be determined - Arising in a large polyp that is fragmented. It appears to involve the majority of the (clinically) 5 cm polyp
Tumor Extent: Invades muscularis propria
Lymphovascular Invasion: Not identified
Tumor Bud Score: Low (0-4)
Type of Polyp in which Invasive Carcinoma Arose: Tubulovillous adenoma
Polyp Size: 5 cm (per surgeon’s Operative Report)
Polyp Configuration: Pedunculated with stalk (per Operative Report)
Stalk Length: Cannot be determined; Fragmented specimen - no clear stalk seen.
MARGINS:
Margin Status for Invasive Carcinoma: Cannot be determined; Fragmented. Tumor present at cauterized surface but
unclear if that is a true margin.
Margin Status for Non-Invasive Tumor: Cannot be determined; Fragmented.

Comments

  • SnapDragon2
    SnapDragon2 Member Posts: 720 Member
    #2

    Try posting your path report on colon talk.

  • smithdoor
    smithdoor Member Posts: 17 Member
    edited April 25 #3

    This something you talked to youf doctor about.

    It will a few cat/pet scans it will more clearer.

    ENDOSCOPIC is limited in viewing.

    I would look at blood test too.

    That may tell more.

    Dave

  • EnchantedMomma13
    EnchantedMomma13 Member Posts: 1 Member
    #4

    Did you get to meet with your surgical specialist yet? The phone conversation where they try to explain your results can be confusing and difficult to focus on because you’ve just heard the word cancer and probably had a surreal feeling of shock. I’ve found that the appointment with the surgeon is where I get clarification on what the results mean.

  • Capox Dude
    Capox Dude Member Posts: 127 Member
    #5

    like all pathology reports there are a lot of things to discuss. Very often, some of them are good, and some of them are not as good. it is really up to your treaters to give you the full information, as some of us may have spent some time on pub med or their own personal medical file, but we are not oncologist and we are not surgeons and we sure do not want to upset you with a layman‘s opinion that is wrong .

    That said, it basically looks like your polyp was cancerous, with moderate differentiation being more positive than poor differentiation, and your T2 means the cancer did not invade your colon so much that it broke out of the colon wall. That is fortuitous. Be sure to ask the physician about the significance of the uncertainty of clear margins on pathology.

    It looks like you have joined the club that no one wants to join, but given the information in the pathology report, you have a good chance of ultimately being cured. The devil is in the details.

    your path report looks very similar to mine, although my cancer had invaded the colon wall to a greater extent and was only 1/16 of an inch from seeding my entire abdomen.

    I don’t think I will ever feel out of the woods, but I am at my five-year anniversary and my wonderful oncologist just dismissed me from her care and told me to come back once a year for routine testing because I am likely not to have a reoccurrence. or at least, the percentage chance of a reoccurrence is only a couple percent. Everyone has a fear in the back of their mind that being diagnosed with cancer is an absolute death sentence, and nothing could be further from the truth with the information you have provided. Keep a positive attitude, listen to your physicians, get a second opinion if you do not feel comfortable with your current care, and I’m sure it will all turn out fine in the end.

    I guess my bigger point is that there are many people hanging around this site who had far worse pathology reports - including news that the cancer had spread to their liver or lungs. Some of those those wonderful people are still here after 10 years with no sign of cancer. Modern treatments and modern drugs are better than ever, and survival numbers that you will see are old and negatively biased and incorrect because they do not reflect the modern care. You have this!

Discussion Boards