I am between tests..
I was just diagnosed with breast cancer from a biopsy and waiting for full pathology report
The ultrasound found the following
1.6cm longest side of tumor
“No enlarged or suspicious appearing lymph nodes in the right axilla”
if my tumor is less than 2cm and lymph nodes appear to be clear I would be Stage 1A….
I know more tests will be done but can I feel confident about my situation (and confident I am Stage1A)?
Sosa98
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You are clinical stage 1A right now most certainly. I will say though that nothing is definitive until after surgery when the pathology report comes through. I was clinical stage 1A with my biopsy but after surgery went up to stage 2A because my tumor was bigger than testing showed which is quite common. But 2A is still an early stage diagnosis so I wasn't all that much bothered by the change.
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Thanks so much.
So the ultrasound is a pretty accurate measurement of lymph node status?So my condition puts me in relatively good shape (that’s what others tell me) in terms of getting this cured and on with life?
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It usually is. I mean nothing is definitive until after surgery but having the nodes look good in an ultrasound is certainly promising. So yes. nothing about this screams anything other than a garden variety breast cancer diagnosis and they normally have a great prognosis.
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Thank you!
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You are an angel kaynotrealname
since this shock my mind wanders - worried about stage IV / de novo
here is more info about me
51yo. Very good health (apart from this diagnosis). No aches or pains.
No other BC symptoms. Tumor doesn’t seem to have grown since I found it
No family history of BC. Blood work normal one month ago. Normal risk of lifetime BC on Tyrer Kuzick scale
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sosa,
This is a bit of anxious time as you wait for biopsy results. It is very likely, though not guaranteed, that your biopsy findings will be similar to imaging. I always try to be realistic about things and there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding bc.
Most of us who have been diagnosed are in overall good health with no aches or pains.
Other than possibly feeling a lump, breast cancer doesn’t present with many symptoms. Only a minority of bc cases are genetically related, about 15-20% with currently known mutations. Blood tests do not indicate the presence or absence of breast cancer.
You can have positive lymph nodes that are not seen by imaging and bc can spread through the bloodstream as well. Only about 6% of patients are metastatic (de novo) at initial diagnosis.
All this to say that although these things are possible, doesn’t mean they’re likely to happen but I think understanding the whole picture is very important as an educated patient who is an active participant in their care.Take care1 -
A grade is helpful to know, too. A grade 1 is the least aggressive and grade 3 the most. The grade seems to somewhat determine in what speed treatment starts. It also gives you an idea on how likely it is the lymph nodes are involved. Again, it's just an idea it gives you. No definitives until after surgery are possible. But if you have a lower grade it's a good thing. But then I had a sizable grade 3 and still had no lymph node involvement or LVI so it's not everything. It's a great sign that you feel good. The healthier you feel going into treatment the better. So in saying that, perhaps thinking about an exercise routine or maybe tweaking your eating will give you a needed sense of control back. I was told the day I met my oncologist (two days after diagnosis) that people who exercise before surgery both have smaller, more easily removed tumors and recover better. I jumped on that and started exercising everyday. Granted, it's mostly a brisk walk but it counts. And I breezed through surgery. Don't know if it helped my lump size any since I had a larger one than anticipated (but more than likely that was because my dense breasts caused an underestimation on my ultrasound) but I certainly recovered quite well and that was wonderful.
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Mine was stage 1, grade 1, but I still had an unexpected micromet appear in my sentinel node, not known until the pathology after surgery. Since my Oncotype score was in the "no chemo" range, all it meant was a longer course of radiation. There are a lot of gray areas with cancer, but they're not all scary.
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We're so sorry you find yourself here, @sosa98. But you've come to the right place for support! You are not alone, and we're with you as you await for information and next steps.
Also, we want to let you know we offer very supportive, moderated Virtual Community Meetups. There are a number of different groups and times, so if you're interested, please check them out here: Virtual Community Meetups.
The Mods
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hi all. Since the massive shock last week of getting a positive diagnosis the news has been better - clinical info - 1.6cm tumor, no lymph node involvement, ER positive and HER2 negative.
Has two nurses from the hospital call the last two days telling me that the report information is positive for just having a lumpasectomy and radiation as treatment .
Assuming the nurses told us this the doctors will tell me the same tomorrow? Sorry just anxious!
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