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Newly Diagnosed

nicolee3
nicolee3 Member Posts: 1
edited December 2023 in Just Diagnosed

I had a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy and was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma with SITU left month. They said it looked to be stage 2a but today I had an MRI and the report said I have multiple swollen axillary nodes and it said metastatic disease is suspected. I'm terrified for what's next and should be getting a call from the doctor tomorrow. I'm 38 years old with no family history of cancer and I tested negative for the cancer gene. Side note, my boyfriend of 17 years was diagnosed with stage 4 anal cancer about a year and a half ago.

Edit: the ultrasound showed that all of the lymph nodes looked normal but the MRI showed multiple swollen nodes. I have no idea which test is now accurate for that.

Comments

  • kaynotrealname
    kaynotrealname Member Posts: 438
    edited December 2023

    Metastatic disease to the armpit is not stage 4. That's local spread but they do call it metastatic spread anyway. I'm so sorry though regardless. I know this stress must be relentless right now especially since you and your boyfriend are going to be in treatment. I don't know what else to say beyond that but we're here and we can listen and help if you have any questions or concerns.

  • moderators
    moderators Posts: 8,523

    Hi @nicolee3, and welcome to our Breastcancer.org community.

    We're so very sorry for the reasons that bring you here but we're so glad you've found us. As you can already see, our community is a vast source of advice, information, encouragement, and support — we're all here for you as you navigate your diagnosis and get your treatment plan in place, and beyond.

    We know the terminology can be confusing, but you might find it helpful to read about what the pieces of your pathology report mean here:

    Particularly, this section will be helpful to understand what your lymph node status might mean:

    https://www.breastcancer.org/pathology-report#section-lymph-node-status

    We hope this helps. Please keep us posted as you learn more about your diagnosis and treatment plan and we'll all be here to help you through. Sending gentle hugs to you and your boyfriend!

    —The Mods