Getting more Information
I now have a little more information and it helps with decisions. I am stage 2a with er+90%
pr neg
her2 neg and Ki67 up to 90% ( not sure what that means)
My oncologist is sending the biopsy off to get the Ocotype. I do not want to do chemo because of the major side effects. My surgery is being pushed back because of surgeons on vacation.
Can someone please explain what the Ki67 number is and what it indicates?
Comments
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Hi mdgauthier19,
We know it can be tough in the beginning of diagnosis making sense of all the terms and tests etc. As you get more information, you'll start getting a clearer picture of the treatment plan you and your doctor will put together.
For more information about what each piece of your pathology report means, visit Understanding Your Pathology Report, specifically the section about Rate of Cell Growth, which is what the Ki-67 score measures.
In addition, you may be interested in reading about Oncotype DX tests and what they show.
We hope this helps and let us know if you have more questions. Others will surely be by soon to help, too!
—The Mods
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Hi!! I am sorry for your diagnosis. It is really hard to wrap your head around. You will get in fighter mode and tackle the things you need to do. I am in a group of women who are PR neg. I think most of us had to have chemo. So don’t be shocked if that happens. I don’t want to scare you but it really was that back. I was also a low ER than you. Again I am sorry it’s so shocking.
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mdgauthier19-
Sorry you have to be here, but glad that you found us.
Nobody wants to do chemo, but it's best to discuss the pros and cons with your doctors.
I was REALLY not wanting to do it either and it wasn't fun, but I got through it and if you need to, you will too.
The things that I think led to my high oncotype score were the PR- (actually mine was 4%, but they call that negative) my highish Ki67, and Grade 3. The Ki67 has to do with the biology of the tumor. It helps them predict what the tumor has done already or might be doing. Did they give you a Grade for the tumor? Grade 3 means that the tumor is more aggressive. If yours is Grade 3, don't let that scare you, but do know that the good news is that Grade 3 is supposed to respond really well to chemo, even more than it does to hormone therapy. Your high ER+ will respond well to hormone therapy.
I know this is really hard to deal with and it's unfortunate that you have to wait for your surgeon, but hang in there…..you'll get through this! Feel free to keep asking questions as it is a lot to digest!
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High ki67 is often correlated with high oncotype score, but not necessarily, and not all cancer centers use it. I never learned the ki67 for my tumor.
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