Help Me Put THis Puzzle Together

sutherndiva

So as we all know things can change on a daily basis. My new Doc has done his MRI guided biopsy and the results are back. They are pretty similiar to the results from my former doc. There was a 14 cm area that looked to be involved. Hre is how that 14 cm breaks down _There was a 4 cm area that was biopsied that was not cancer.(Yeah!) There is what looks like a 6-8 cm area that is called a mucinous cancer very slow growing, rarely spread . The IDC is actually very close to my nipple. Then there is a 2.5 area that is actually IDC. Yet my doc has still not said that my prognosis looks a lot better. He said it makes things a teeny bit netter. Why could he just not have said this is really good news? Why do I need to hear that from him so terribly? Anyway, he wants to do the chemo b4 masectomy and before I knew the detalis of the cancer make up I was all set. Now I am beginning to second guess the chemo first thinking that maybe this thing could actually grow while I am on chemo. Maybe taking the breast immediately is the best thing to do since the aggressive IDC seems to be so small. Any experiences, ideas answers would be helpful. My new doc also thought that I was Triple negative, which it turns out that I am not. My tumor is estrogen positive, ki-67 20%, and Her2neu weakly positive 2+. So all of my research shows that my prognosis is pretty favorable my oncologist seems very hopeful but my breast doc almost seems scared to tell me anything encouraging?  I don't know it's kind of unnerving, you know:)

idaho

Some docs are just like that- It sounds like your prognosis just got a whole bunch better! Yeah!   You are at a tough cross road- Can you get the mastectomy and then do chemo?  It is your choice- I don't know what to tell you - but I did want to say - Yippee for you - I think you got good news!   Tami

Anonymous

Unnerving...  Sutherndiva, that is the understatment of the year. 

Someone told me that the doctors really don't know squat until they've got the damn thing out of your breast and sliced up into slides.  I'd be optimistic if I were you, but you might have a cautious doctor who doesn't want to give you good news, then pull the rug out.

Your doctor probably wants to do chemo to shrink the tumor.  This is pretty common - there are a lot of good reasons for "neoadjuvant therapy," which is the technical lingo for chemo before surgery. 

Also - it ain't gonna grow while you're bombarding it with chemo drugs, so don't worry about that.    If anything, it's going to shrink away... and you'll know the chemo is working!

Keep us posted.

nelia48

Having chemo first is becoming more and more "the thing to do."  That is what I had.  I remember going to the surgeon first for the biopsy, etc., etc.  When I asked about surgery right away, he said, "Oh no!  you need chemo first to shrink that!  We could never operate first!"

My oncologist agreed and told me that it was way too big to operate first.  I never personally understood it all, but it seemed to be the agreed upon procedure of doing things.  Since my experience and since being on this board, I've found that many women have their chemo first, then surgery, and then radiation.  It is not uncommon at all.

I know that my tumor shrunk down to almost nothing, and the lymph nodes under my arm went down to where they could no longer feel them.  I went into surgery very confident that they would get it all out, etc.

Having the chemo first also gave me the calming effect that if there was any spread anywhere, the chemo was getting that, too!

Keep us posted as to how it all goes!