Pathology Report- how long?
May I ask how long typically does it take before you receive your pathology report from surgery? I am through week one starting week two. I’m anxious because those results are what will give me more info as to my treatment plan and what to expect going forward. I know waiting is THE WORST.
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Have you called your doctor to ask when the results will be available? Timelines likely vary by facility so your doctor would be a great person to ask. Do you have an online patient portal? Have you checked to see if the report has been posted there? Sigh… waiting is not easy. Take care
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@exbrnxgrl i do have an online portal so I do assume they will be on there. Makes it worse bc I’m constantly checking it 🤦♀️ I guess I will ask. I figured maybe there was an “average” timeline.
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I understand the anxiety. While I don’t know the actual time involved in performing the needed pathological assessments, labs can and do get backed up. I think a quick call to your doctor asking about expected time frames should help.
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@ebfitzy , If HER2 is classified 2 “equivocal” by staining the tumor sample has to be sent for FISH testing to determine if it is positive or negative. Those tests take a while to be completed; I didn’t get my final path report for almost three weeks. When I called the surgeon’s office about the delay they did post a preliminary report. However since one aspect was unknown my treatment plan was still up in the air. I second exbrnxgrl’s advice to contact your doctor’s office.
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it was 16 days for my initial pathology report. 18 days for HER2. And I do not remember if the report released at two spew times or if it was posted at once on the 18th+ day. Waiting stinks. But if it’s any comfort, your result waiting time so far does not seem abnormal. Hang in there!
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just an UPDATE:
pathology results are in. It looks like my tumor is still small- 1.1cm. Grade 2 (7/9) However, it went to one axilla lymph node and it says “focal lymphovascular space invasian identified.” And also says “focal extranodal extension identified.”
Of course I can’t talk to the doctor until my appointment on Wednesday. Has anyone else seen this and were they a big deal or did they change your treatment plan at all because of those? Also I just found out my oncotype score is 35. Ki 67 was confirmed 40%. I’m HR positive and HER2 negative. Thanks.
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One positive node and LVI changed my radiation plan to include the axillary nodes but my oncotype was 24 so I did not do chemo. With your oncotype score chemo probably will be recommended; I don’t know if the radiation plan will change in that case. Like all of us who are ER+ hormone therapy for at least 5 years will most likely follow. Of course your MO will discuss the details of your plan at the appointment. This is not fun but is doable. You will have the company of others on this website following a similar plan so you can compare notes and support each other. Take things one day at a time and you will make it through. All the best for a successful course of treatment.
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@maggie15 thanks for the info. I will be interested to see what will happen from here on out. It certainly would be nice to meet others on here with similar results as me and keep tabs on one another and how everyone is making out with their treatment plans. Was hoping to avoid radiation and chemo since I did the double mastectomy but my results show a little more advancement than I had hoped. All I can do is go with the flow. Now to wait until my appointment Wednesday. Tick tock tick tock tick tock….
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