Pathology report.. and questions...***

taleena
taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Okay.. so my surgeon is super nice, I trust him and like him.. but today he kind of acted weired... nothing I could put my finger on.. he made me a copy of the pathology report, we didn't go over it, just the basic, no residual cancer and the lympth nodes are clear. That's it cut and dry.. so I asked him just radiation right.. ?? and he says umm.. possibly.. we will fax the report to the oncologist. That's it.

Then I get here.. spend three hours catching up on the board.. (Wow.. I will never miss a day again!).. now review my pathology report...

In the breast tissue portion of the report it says.. "fibrocystic disease with cystic ductal dilation..." and "intraductal papilloma with atypical intraductal hyperplasia".. I know what fibrocystic disease is and cystic ductal dialation.. and that doesn't bother me.. but the second part I had never heard of.. Now.. I know that we warn our new sister not to google.. but... well..don't yell at me... um.. I .. kind of .. well... I couldn't help it.. I don't know what that means.. and you know me Miss. Control Freak herself...in my defense I went to a reputable site... Mayo Clinic..

There it says that people with "intraductal papilloma with atypical intraductal hyperplasia" and 4 to 6 times more likely to develope breast cancer...." Well no... **it sherlock... I was diagnosed with breast cancer.. had a lumpectomy just got the drain tube out today...

Now what.. after all of that.. do I have to face another surgery??? Masectomy...?? Feeling anxious now.. I'm in pain still and the thought of a third surgery is literally making me nausous..(sp?) okay sick to my stomach.. you get the picture..

Do any of you have experience with this?

Let me know.

Hugs, Love & Friendship

~T

Comments

  • rjjj
    rjjj Member Posts: 1,822 Member
    #2
    Taleena
    I am not sure..but you could call the ACS nurse to find out, Do you have an apt. to go over this with the Onc.? Keep after them until you get the answers you are searching for. I am happy for you that there is no lymph involvement and clean margins. Try not to worry (I know that was a stupid thing to say) take your pain meds and something to help you sleep. We are here for you sweetie and wishing you the best. Let us know.
    hugs, jackie
  • Akiss4me
    Akiss4me Member Posts: 2,188
    #3
    Wish I could help
    I know Doctors have their off days as much as any normal person would, so maybe this was your Doctor's turn (Not making excuses & I'm still on your side!).
    It doesn't sound to me like this report means another surgery. When do you see your oncologist? I was under the impression it was mostly up to your Medical Oncologist to decide treatment and your Surgeon is only making a preliminary quess from his experience in the field.
    Surgery+Rads+Tamoxifen was my initial treatment plan. Now it may change to include Chemo after the OncoDX report comes back because he didn't like the looks of my tumor. They want to make my Appt with the Medical Ocologist but also want to wait till the last report comes in. He pretty much lead me to believe that treatment will mostly be decided by the Oncologist.
    Hang in there....drink some ginger ale, take a deep breath, and hopefully someone will be able to give you better info than me.....sorry. :) Pammy
  • Aortus
    Aortus Member Posts: 967
    #4
    My preliminary googling
    As the googlemeister for our family unit, I have had to develop a pretty good sense of what sources are BS and which are actually useful.

    My useful sources tell me that yes, atypical intraductal hyperplasia is the only benign breast growth which carries an increased risk of cancer. So we'll put that in the "bad" category. But all it realistically means is that you'll have to be extra observant in the future... as if any cancer survivor needs to be told that.

    In the "good" category we will place the following: it ain't cancer. Whether or not your doctors will want to perform surgery to get it out - who knows? Just focus on the fact that it is not cancer and remember (as if you need any reminding) to keep a close eye on any future changes.
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #5
    Aortus said:

    My preliminary googling
    As the googlemeister for our family unit, I have had to develop a pretty good sense of what sources are BS and which are actually useful.

    My useful sources tell me that yes, atypical intraductal hyperplasia is the only benign breast growth which carries an increased risk of cancer. So we'll put that in the "bad" category. But all it realistically means is that you'll have to be extra observant in the future... as if any cancer survivor needs to be told that.

    In the "good" category we will place the following: it ain't cancer. Whether or not your doctors will want to perform surgery to get it out - who knows? Just focus on the fact that it is not cancer and remember (as if you need any reminding) to keep a close eye on any future changes.

    Thanks guys.. my husband
    Thanks guys.. my husband told me to quick "googling".. and that we will discuss it with the oncologist to find out what it means... I still don't have an appointment scheduled although they are suposed to call me today to make it.. then they will set up the appointment with the radiation oncologist... I guess you all know.. it's just there in the back of my mind.. I guess I will just try to set it aside... and get my answers from the person in the "know" the doctor...

    Have a great day everyone!

    Hugs, Love & Friendship

    ~T
  • bfbear
    bfbear Member Posts: 380
    #6
    taleena said:

    Thanks guys.. my husband
    Thanks guys.. my husband told me to quick "googling".. and that we will discuss it with the oncologist to find out what it means... I still don't have an appointment scheduled although they are suposed to call me today to make it.. then they will set up the appointment with the radiation oncologist... I guess you all know.. it's just there in the back of my mind.. I guess I will just try to set it aside... and get my answers from the person in the "know" the doctor...

    Have a great day everyone!

    Hugs, Love & Friendship

    ~T

    Another way to look at this...
    T--
    The report that you read is about the stuff they took out.
    That means it was removed.
    If the margins are clear, and the nodes are clear, then I would think this a good thing.
    The whole point of the pathology report is to describe what they found in the tissues that were submitted for analysis. I may be missing something, but from my reading of what you wrote, the pathologist described the breast tissue they took out in the lumpectomy -- they were supposed to remove that stuff!

    I may be off base, but do other women here get what I'm saying?????

    Hang in there and breathe,
    Debi
  • CR1954
    CR1954 Member Posts: 1,390 Member
    #7
    bfbear said:

    Another way to look at this...
    T--
    The report that you read is about the stuff they took out.
    That means it was removed.
    If the margins are clear, and the nodes are clear, then I would think this a good thing.
    The whole point of the pathology report is to describe what they found in the tissues that were submitted for analysis. I may be missing something, but from my reading of what you wrote, the pathologist described the breast tissue they took out in the lumpectomy -- they were supposed to remove that stuff!

    I may be off base, but do other women here get what I'm saying?????

    Hang in there and breathe,
    Debi

    Hey Debi.......
    Did you ever feel discombobulated when you post? I do all the time! LOL!!
    Actually, your post was very easy to understand.

    Hang in there T. I had to have my path report explained here. No clue what any of it meant. LOL, I think I still understand only about half of it!

    Hugs,

    CR
  • bfbear
    bfbear Member Posts: 380
    #8
    CR1954 said:

    Hey Debi.......
    Did you ever feel discombobulated when you post? I do all the time! LOL!!
    Actually, your post was very easy to understand.

    Hang in there T. I had to have my path report explained here. No clue what any of it meant. LOL, I think I still understand only about half of it!

    Hugs,

    CR

    Hey CR
    I almost always feel discombobulated!
    I have more clarity, usually, if I write things down and can see them and re-think them.
    I'm a mental mess, actually, but the scientific portion of my brain has always worked pretty well ;-) It's the one thing in life I can generally rely on.

    Hugs,
    D
  • Moopy23
    Moopy23 Member Posts: 1,751 Member
    #9
    Path Report
    Hi, Taleena, I don't have experience with the path term you describe. I do know what it is like to read scientific/medical jargon and wonder what-- if anything-- is going to happen next. I don't want my husband to get a bigger head. However, I do think he is right on this one.
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
    #10
    Moopy23 said:

    Path Report
    Hi, Taleena, I don't have experience with the path term you describe. I do know what it is like to read scientific/medical jargon and wonder what-- if anything-- is going to happen next. I don't want my husband to get a bigger head. However, I do think he is right on this one.

    Taleena, please don't be
    Taleena, please don't be upset. I know that is easy to say, but, just wait until you talk to your doctor about your pathology report. I hope that you can get an appointment today, so that you can get this off of your mind. You don't need anymore to worry about. Insist on it if they call you back. From what I know, I agree with Joe also about the terminology. Good luck Taleena!
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #11
    Jeanne D said:

    Taleena, please don't be
    Taleena, please don't be upset. I know that is easy to say, but, just wait until you talk to your doctor about your pathology report. I hope that you can get an appointment today, so that you can get this off of your mind. You don't need anymore to worry about. Insist on it if they call you back. From what I know, I agree with Joe also about the terminology. Good luck Taleena!

    Thanks everybody.. .I have
    Thanks everybody.. .I have an appointment with an oncologist Tuesday at 3:30.. so I have a LOT of questions for him..I will keep you posted. (Hey.. at least I'll know what it means if the topic comes up again..)


    Hugs, Love & Friendship

    ~T
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159
    #12
    Internet Search!!!!!
    Awwww, sweetie~ that'll teach ya NOT to google anything, won't it???? I think our Drs err on the side of caution more often than not; and they compare notes and confer about what is best for OUR particular situations. We don't want to be part of a cookie-cutter treatment, do we?

    Of course you don't want more surgery!!! We hope it doesn't come to that; we want you well, healthy, happy and living that Life After Cancer to the absolute hilt! And you will be!!!

    Don't look for a bump in the road beore you have even gotten in the car~ make sure, instead of Google, you have a Thomas Guide, or a GPS system and most of all a clear destination! Then, should the road be under construction, or you do hit that bump, you will be ready for it. And who knows? The road my just be straight and smooth sailing...

    Hugs,
    Claudia
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #13
    chenheart said:

    Internet Search!!!!!
    Awwww, sweetie~ that'll teach ya NOT to google anything, won't it???? I think our Drs err on the side of caution more often than not; and they compare notes and confer about what is best for OUR particular situations. We don't want to be part of a cookie-cutter treatment, do we?

    Of course you don't want more surgery!!! We hope it doesn't come to that; we want you well, healthy, happy and living that Life After Cancer to the absolute hilt! And you will be!!!

    Don't look for a bump in the road beore you have even gotten in the car~ make sure, instead of Google, you have a Thomas Guide, or a GPS system and most of all a clear destination! Then, should the road be under construction, or you do hit that bump, you will be ready for it. And who knows? The road my just be straight and smooth sailing...

    Hugs,
    Claudia

    Thanks Claudia... maybe I
    Thanks Claudia... maybe I should have my husband block me from all the search engines.. might not be a bad idea!

    Thanks... I'll make sure my navigation system is in full operating condition!lol

    Hugs, Love & Friendship

    ~T
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #14
    taleena said:

    Thanks Claudia... maybe I
    Thanks Claudia... maybe I should have my husband block me from all the search engines.. might not be a bad idea!

    Thanks... I'll make sure my navigation system is in full operating condition!lol

    Hugs, Love & Friendship

    ~T

    T , I am sure we have all
    T , I am sure we have all googled at one point or another, then scared ourselfs. Can't fully understand doctor all the time let alone read about it. Hang in there, Onc should be able to clear things up for you.
  • bfbear
    bfbear Member Posts: 380
    #15
    Kat11 said:

    T , I am sure we have all
    T , I am sure we have all googled at one point or another, then scared ourselfs. Can't fully understand doctor all the time let alone read about it. Hang in there, Onc should be able to clear things up for you.

    Question
    Taleena,
    Was this a pathology report from your lumpectomy or from a biopsy?
    Debi
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #16
    Kat11 said:

    T , I am sure we have all
    T , I am sure we have all googled at one point or another, then scared ourselfs. Can't fully understand doctor all the time let alone read about it. Hang in there, Onc should be able to clear things up for you.

    Guilty as charged.
    Taleena and Kat, There is just so much to know and it is all so complex. Treatment also is an art and a science. We all need to be informed so that we can advocate for ourselves...we need trust... and we rely on our sisters' humor, experience, and wise advice.
    Thank goodness for this site.
  • jk1952
    jk1952 Member Posts: 613
    #17
    lynn1950 said:

    Guilty as charged.
    Taleena and Kat, There is just so much to know and it is all so complex. Treatment also is an art and a science. We all need to be informed so that we can advocate for ourselves...we need trust... and we rely on our sisters' humor, experience, and wise advice.
    Thank goodness for this site.

    Debi (bfbear) explained this

    Debi (bfbear) explained this well. The path report is for what they took out. Atypical hyperplasia in the path report doesn't mean that there will be more surgery, provided there were clear margins around the tissue that was removed.

    I think that the reason the surgeon hestitated on the chemo is because he realized that the oncologist may ask for more tests to verify that the cancer hasn't spread to another area in your body. My oncologist requested a few more tests, to make sure she was treating everything. The oncologist really is your primary cancer doctor, and (s)he needs to be comfortable that all the information needed for a good treatment plan is available. The tests will likely not show anything, but they want to make sure, partly because you are young, and they want to treat anything they might find so you can have a long, helathy life.

    Joyce
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #18
    bfbear said:

    Question
    Taleena,
    Was this a pathology report from your lumpectomy or from a biopsy?
    Debi

    Pathology report was on the
    Pathology report was on the lumpectomy, and covered pretty much all of the speciman that was submitted. (I have found more information on it, I am such a dumb a**.).. the condition is also called ADH, very closely resembles DCIS... with increased risk of IDC... CLAUDIA.. IF YOUR READING THIS... I HAVE LEARNED MY LEASON!!!! no more googling.. but at least I will go in armed with questions.
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #19
    rjjj said:

    Taleena
    I am not sure..but you could call the ACS nurse to find out, Do you have an apt. to go over this with the Onc.? Keep after them until you get the answers you are searching for. I am happy for you that there is no lymph involvement and clean margins. Try not to worry (I know that was a stupid thing to say) take your pain meds and something to help you sleep. We are here for you sweetie and wishing you the best. Let us know.
    hugs, jackie

    Jackie... thanks.. I did as
    Jackie... thanks.. I did as you suggested and called the ACS nurse.. I just got off the phone with her and she was wonderful... I guess I need to take a deep breath and remember one step at a time... Found out that chemo may not be off the table.. need to have oncodx results first.. okay yea another round of waiting...

    Hope you are doing extremely well..

    Hugs, love & friendship

    ~T

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