Confused by Mammaprint/Oncotype test - Can anyone help?

ek25

Hi All,

I was diagnosed with DCIS in April of this year.  After an MRI, it turned out there was a very small (5mm) component of invasive.  I had a lumpectomy in August and didn't get clean margins because of the DCIS.  A reduction/lumpectomy followed and while they got clean margins on the original invasive site, another site of DCIS turned up from tissue removed while doing the reduction and the margins weren't clean.  I was offered the choice of hitting it with radiation and hoping it killed it, or a mastectomy.  I opted for a bi-lateral mastectomy which I just had done last week.  

All the signs of my cancer were that it was "old lady" cancer.  Small size, slow growing, low mitotic rate, negative nodes, etc...Then, 10 minutes before I'm about to be put out for my mastectomy, my surgeon comes in and says, "in case you had any second thoughts about having the mastectomy, your Mammaprint results came back as High Risk".  Not the optimal time to be relaying that kind of news, and as expected, I freaked out.  I've spent a lot of time on the net trying to decipher the Mammaprint (I haven't had my post-op yet so haven't had a chance to ask more questions) and think I understand a bit of it.  I get that it's an effort to look at the biology of the tumor to predict outcomes, but I feel like I've suddenly gone from having low risk disease to high risk. Has anyone else encountered this?  I'm guessing that without Mammaprint, I would have been put on Tamoxifen and that would have been the end of my treatment.  The only reason they ran it was to determine if Tamoxifen would even be beneficial for me.  I've not yet met with an MO yet, but I'm guessing I'm looking at not only Tamoxifen, but probably chemo?  I'm completely freaked out thinking I now have rogue cells out there just waiting to strike.

If you've had the Mammprint/Oncotype test with similar results and can weigh in, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

voraciousreader

http://www.oncotypedx.com/en-US/Breast/HealthcareProfessionalsInvasive/ClinicalSummary/Insight

The above link contains charts relating to the Oncotype DX test.  While it is UNCOMMON to have a low grade tumor with a high score, it does occur.  Likewise, there are sisters here who were diagnosed with grade 3 tumors and ultimately had low Oncotype DX scores. 

I wish you well with your active treatment.

Moderators

Hi Ek,

In addition to the helpful info Voraciousreader provided, you may find it informational to read the main Breastcancer.org site's pages on the MammaPrint Test and the Oncotype DX Test.

Hope this helps!

--The Mods

voraciousreader

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22173289

Show this study to your surgeon and MO as well......