It's just I think I need a place to store the words and terms that come with my current health - as this is all so new to me. It seems I'm not gonna remember these - so I want a fast way to get to them, and I also want a place where folks who care can find this information when they want it, and in the amounts they want it.
Easy part first -
Nodes: 2 out of 9 positive with metastatic carcinoma,
one is 1.8cm and the other is 2.1cm
no extranodal extension present (told this is good news, as the cancer is completely contained within the nodes)
NotSoEasy next -
Breast:
#Invasive carcinoma with ductal and lobular features, well differentiated, 3.0 cm in size with 3 satellite nodules (up to 0.3cm) (I'll ask if this is the same as Invasive Lobular and Invasive Ductal cancers) The 'well differentiated' is "low grade" means it is slow growing and is described as 'encouraging'. (I hope the 'invasive' has to do with nodes, and nothing else)
#Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) (the in situ part seems to be very good news) - solid and cribriform types, low nuclear grade, present in 4 of 60 blocks
#Margins: Clean margin (referring to tissue removed 4/27): not yet. So, follow up surgery 5/25 (10 days hence)(goal of surgery to have 100% clean)
Invasive carcinoma - present and within 0.1 cm of anterior and superior margins; greater than 0.3 cm elsewhere.
DCIS: all margins clear
(The margins ARE free of ductal carcinoma, so I assume it's the lobular that isn't cleared out yet, which could be very good news, as there seems to be more concern surrounding ductal.)
(Invasive is a scary word, but right it likely means cuz there's breast cancer in the nodes) (from the PET scan they tell me it's no where else; the certainty of that for me is very uncertain right now; really too early to worry much right now - but it is why I'm nearly freaking out about no chemo)
Octotype dx: tissue has been recently sent to get this DNA profile of the cancer. Imagine, getting the DNA to determine direction of treatment options
I'm working at continuing to believe there is 'lots of good news', as the invasive is low grade, the nodes are not extranodal, and there's a part identified as 'in situ'.
The situation will be more greatly understood after the next surgery (work aimed at getting clean margins) and with the Octotype results. I should take the recommendation that I don't need chemo as a sign that this is all really good news. Which would indicate surgery and radiation will take care of this.
A couple of links
http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/question/prognosis.jsp
http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/diagnosis/margins.jsp
http://breastcancer.about.com/od/diagnosis/tp/surgical_margins.htm
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