Please guide me

Janet_111

please could someone guide me? My sister is in Pakistan and I am in US. She recently had biopsy. This is results. Can someone please let me know what stage is her cancer and what treatment options she could have. Many

tntnsd

Hi Janet

So sorry that your sister has been diagnosed with BC. However usually the stage is not determined until after she has either lumpectomy or mastectomy (whether if they find something in the lymph nodes, the size of tumor - all of that is in final pathology report after surgery ).

She will need to see breast surgeon, oncologist and radiation oncologist to come up with a plan of treatment for her. Usually, mastectomy or lumpectomy and radiation treatment (with or without chemo depends on final pathology report). Then hormonal therapy..

It might sound scary now, but once the treatment plan in place, it is much manageable.

maggie15

janet_111: Your sister's biopsy is similar to a core needle biopsy and just gives the information that she has invasive breast cancer. In the US it is usual to test the sample for hormone receptors and HER2 markers as well as use ultrasound to get some idea of the tumor size, but there is no indication of this on the report. The biopsy, however, is not definitive. Only after surgery (lumpectomy or mastectomy) is the tumor analyzed and staged. My biopsy pathology and estimated tumor size were different from what the actual tumor pathology completed after surgery showed, so having that information up front is not essential. My treatment ended out being different from what I thought it would be going in to surgery. Your sister's treatment options will be clearer after her surgery. Best wishes to her.

Janet_111

Hi tntnsd,

Thanks for kind words. My mom had cancer and she had chemo to shrink the tumor then she had surgery. It’s little confusing to me. Unfortunately my sister husband is also going through cancer treatment. my only concern is delaying her treatment could change the cancer staging . She is the only caregiver for her husband . At same time having to small children is challenging. I appreciate your reply.

I wish you good luck.

Janet_111

Hi meggie15,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Yes I think after my sister surgery things will be more clear. It’s interesting to know about your situation how the pathology report change after your surgery. Sorry for any misunderstanding English is not my first language. I wish you good luck

ruthbru

Hi Janet, as the others have said, there isn't a way to predict what treatments your sister will have until after the pathology report is in. I hope she will proceed quickly with her own treatment even though it will be difficult with her husband's situation. Hugs to all.

Janet_111

Thank you so much ruthbru for your kind words and best wishes ❤️