DCIS diagnosis
Hello,
I went for right breast stereotactic biopsy on 1/30, and received DCIS grade 3 pos er/pgr diagnosis on 2/1. While dealing with this I still have 3 biopsies scheduled for Wednesday 2/7 (they couldn’t do them all in one day), two in the right and one in left. Does this mean they will come back bad too??? I can’t really get any definitive info from my dr until all the biopsies are done, and can’t get a surgeon appointment until all results are in. Feeling anxious and helpless.
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Hi @zoeynala we so understand that you feel anxious. It's so normal. You're NOT alone.
It does not mean they will come back with bad information. But it's very good they are being cautious.
We are here for you. Try to breathe, and distract yourself. Once you have all the information, it will be easier. The waiting is really difficult.
Sending hugs your way.
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Hello @zoeynala. I’m sorry. It’s such a shock to find out something is going on in our breast(s) and then to have all the waiting, the anxiety, the unknown … it’s a lot to process and deal with!!
There is a chance your other biopsies will come back benign. We’ve all had such a variety of experiences with biopsies, they can look highly suspicious and turn out to be okay, or not. I’m sorry that probably doesn’t help you feel any better but it’s impossible to say. It’s good your doctor is being thorough!
We are all here with you while you go through this, you will find nice support here … we truly understand!
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I had two biopsies on the left and one on the right. The left both came back as cancer but the right came back as benign (Pash). So no, they won't necessarily all come back bad.
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thank you, everyone ❤️
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just an update: I went for the 3 additional biopsies today. 2 core needle in the right (which I had a stereotactic last Tuesday on same breast), and one in the left. As they were doing one of the ones in the right I heard the dr say “this one almost went all away,” to the nurse, so I’m thinking maybe that was a cyst? The other two there were no comments I heard. 😩
Is it okay if I post the pathology report from the stereo biopsy here. Maybe someone had a similar report?
A. Breast, right, RIGHT breast 11:00 calcs, stereotactic biopsy: - DUCTAL CARCINOMA IN SITU (DCIS), INTERMEDIATE TO HIGH GRADE TYPE: SOLID, CRIBRIFORM, MICROPAPILLARY, NUCLEAR GRADE: 2-3 NECROSIS: PRESENT, COMEDONECROSIS MICROCALCIFICATION: PRESENT
Test(s) Performed: Estrogen Receptor (ER) Status: Positive (greater than 10% of cells demonstrate nuclear positivity) Percentage of Cells with Nuclear Positivity: 91-100% Average Intensity of Staining: Strong Test Type: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared (test / vendor): Ventana Primary Antibody: SP1 Test(s) Performed: Progesterone Receptor (PgR) Status: Positive Percentage of Cells with Nuclear Positivity: 91-100% Average Intensity of Staining: Strong
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Hi @zoeynala. I know this is the really hard part … waiting for results. I hope you aren’t too sore? If you can, try to take it easy … you’ve been through a bit today.
I’m not sure how much has been explained to you or that you have researched about DCIS … it all can be intimidating at first, I had to look up the meaning of every word practically. You might find this article helpful … Understanding Your Pathology Report
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Hi Zoey
i had a very similar biopsy result with a diagnosis of DCIS like yours a bit more than 3 years ago. In fact, February 1st is my 3-year mark of my mastectomy surgery. I only had one biopsy, not 3 like you, but following my biopsy, my doctor ordered MRI to make sure that she did not miss anything. MRI seems to indicate a more extended area of DCIS (from 4cm to 6cm) at that time i was very worried, but my surgeon ensured me that MRI tends to pick up more thing, and it is common that DCIS cover more area. Anyhow, she was right. my final post-op pathology result confirms 4-5 cm DCIS only with ER+ 100%. With DCIS and mastectomy, I didn't need to do radiation, neither chemo.
Hope your team of doctors and nurses will have a treatment plan for you soon. The waiting is the worse in my opinion (at least for DCIS like ours). one you got your treatment starts, it is much more manageable. Life does come back normal at some point after that.
Best wishes
T
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Update: 2 of the latest biopsies were benign, third one was called high risk “small papilloma (minute).”
The papilloma is in the same breast as the DCIS but different area.
I have an appointment with a breast surgeon on Tuesday 2/22 at NYU in Manhattan. I’m trying to be positive but I keep reading about people who go in for lumpectomy of DCIS and more invasive cancer is found at time of surgery. Is that common?
Thank you for the support.
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Is that common?
Let me start by saying that I was too lazy to Google stats regarding how common finding things that neither imaging nor biopsies picked up are. What I do know is that imaging and biopsies capture different aspects of the tumor but neither provides a complete picture. That is only revealed after removal of the tumor via surgery and subsequent pathological analysis. That’s when you get the complete picture and there is the possibility that something that was not picked up by imaging or biopsy is there.
Again, I don’t know how often this happens and I don’t want you to stress over it. Could it happen ? Yes but focus on what you know and don’t spend too much time on things you don’t know and may never come to be. Not easy but a worthy goal! Take care1 -
Hi Zoey,
Is that common ?
While I don’t have the stats that bc got upgraded to IDC after lumpectomy for biopsy-guided DCIS (I was afraid to search for such stats myself at that time, as I know it would do me personally no good), I tend to think, we usually hear more about those less-than-favored cases than favored cases. Anyhow, focus on what you know now. One step at a time. Best wishes.
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Hi Zoey
I also had a very similar biopsy result as yours (5mm DCIS ER/PR +). A subsequent MRI showed a 4.9 CM “area of enhancement” and I was told I would need a mastectomy of that breast due to the larger area of concern and potential difficulty of getting clear margins. After my bmx last week, I got the pathology report yesterday which indicated 6mm DCIS only and clear lymph nodes. I was so worried that there would be invasive cancer somewhere in that large area but it turned out there wasn’t. I know how hard it is to not worry, but keep the faith.
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Hello @reader247 and welcome here!! That’s such excellent news from your pathology report! I can appreciate how you would have been quite worried after the MRI. How are you feeling? I hope you are doing well and healing nicely. Thank you for sharing your experience!
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Hi needs.a.nap,
I am feeling pretty good all things considered. I had a bmx with no reconstruction so I’m still wrapping my head around how I look now, but I know how lucky I am.
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