So Confused!!!

JannyM

Hi.  I would first like to send everyone here on this site my love and my prayers.  You are truly an amazing and courageous group!!!!!

I'm confused for several reasons.  Had Stereoactic Biopsy performed on 7/7/10.  The pathology came back as "Invasive Lobular Carcinoma" with multiple tumors left breast.

Had Lumpectomy performed 7/21/10 (ouch).  Sentinel Node Positive, so they also did an "axillary dissection" (more ouch).  Reports now are stating that it's "Invasive Ductal Carcinoma" with possible "Lobular tendencies."  Six Axillary Nodes were removed out of which 3 tested positive.   

ER = .2% Unfavorable

PR= 0.0% Unfavorable 

HER2 = 1+/Negative

K167 = 69.5% Unfavorable

P53 = 2.5% Favorable

It has not been officially staged yet, as I think more Pathology to follow.  Right now, my Doctor (who is absolutely wonderful) feels it will come in at a Stage III.

I've researched and researched and I can't get my mind to grasp all the numbers above ... I have no idea if they are good or if they are bad ... if I'm gonna need chemo or hormonal treatment (Meet new Oncologist next week).  Any help deciphering this mystery would be sooooooooo appreciated

The good news is I lost the "drain tubes" today.  They were still quite active, but Doctor chose to take them out b/c I've been running a fever since Sunday.  First round of antibiotics didn't seem to work, so I am now on a different one.

 Tks so much and God Bless   Jan

dlb823

Hi, Jan ~ Don't know why you haven't had any response as yet, so let me try to give you a little information, which will also bump this thread for you.  First, it's not uncommon to have 2 kinds of breast cancer at the same time.  In fact, there's a recent thread about it, where quite a few of us reported having both ductal & lobular bc.  (I'll try to find that thread and will add a link below if I do.)

As far as staging, you can read the guidelines for staging in the informational section of this website.  Go to the very top bar above and click on Symptoms & Diagnosis and search Staging, which is determined based on the size of your lesion, plus the number of positive nodes. 

If your Her2 was tested via FISH (the most sensitive test for borderline Her2 readings) and is definitely negative along with your hormone receptors (ER, PR), then it sounds like you may be dealing with Triple Negative (TN) bc.  TNBC is known to be aggressive, but it also has some very positive aspects, such as responding very well to chemo, and not as likely to recur after a certain point.  There is also a new drug trial ongoing now that is showing tremendous promise as an additional treatment option.  Oh, the other thing is, you probably won't need hormonal treatment, but, of course, this will all be confirmed by your oncologist when you meet him or her.

I hope this helps.  If your surgeon or oncologist confirms that you are Triple Negative, you'll find lots of information and support in the Triple Negative forum here (Forum Index above).

Hope you feel better soon, and good luck as you move forward with your treatment ~

(((Hugs)))  Deanna

Here's that link:  http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/5/topic/755601?page=1#idx_7 

The thread is called Invasive Ductal Carcinoma with Lobular Features.  I'll bump it for you now.

JannyM

Thank you sooooooo much Deanna!  I really appreciate that information and I certainly hope you are doing well   Hugs to you!!!!!

Luah

JannyM: Welcome, and sorry you are dealing with this.  I would second what dlb has said above.  There's also a section somewhere on this site about reading your path report, check under Symptoms and Diagnosis on the bar at the top. Don't jump to any conclusions though -- your oncologist should be able to clarify your path report and put the proper context around it for you.

Triple negative BCs do not respond to hormonal therapy, but are especially sensitive to chemo.  Be sure to drop by the Triple Negative board - the ladies there are great! 

JannyM

Tks so much Luah   I appreciate it!  I'm scheduled to meet my new Oncologist on Monday  

TriciaK

Hi,

Deanna has given you all the advice I would, please keepm us posted and hope all is well:)

Tricia x