Just diagnosed, Can someone help me understand path. report

Cristi23

I am 35 and was diagnosed on Thursday. Devastated to say the least. I was in pure shock and did not ask many questions but now I would like to know if someone could tell me what my report really means. Please if you are willing just be brutally honest with me. I cope much better when I know exactly what I am up against.

This is what it says......

-Invasive poorly differentiated mammary carcinoma with features of both lobular and ductal carcinoma.

-Tumor grade- 3 of 3 according to the Nottingham system.

-Tumor size- 2.2CM in diameter.

-In-Situ tumor- Ductal carcinoma in SITU (DCIS), High grade, With areas of central necrosis is present.

-Margins: Both invasive and In Situ tumor is present at the inked surgical resection margin present.

-Lymph: Vascular invasion: Present.

Any help is appreciated

Lenn13ka

Christi23

is this from your core needle biopsy ? Ductal/lobular happens and is often called mammary carcinoma. I had the same pathology as you along with the lymphovascular invasion , very extensive. This means that small foci have entered the lymph and vascular area around the tumor.

Grade 3 doesn't always mean your tumor is aggressive. Are you having an Oncotype dx done? That helps to determine how aggressive a tumor is . I had a grade 2/3 and a low risk Oncotype. Do you have a team put together?  Have you met with a surgeon?  After you have your surgery you will have a clearer idea of your pathology. Do you no your ER/PR and HER status? 

Take a deep breath. You have time to get all you questions  answered and make decisions. Breastcancer. Org and cancer.net all great resources.Check out The sections for newly diagnosed. Knowledge and asking questions is key to getting tour treatment plan together.

I think there is a Unserstanding your pathology section on BCO.

Good Luck

voraciousreader

Cristi...so far, the info states that you have both lobular and ductal cancer as well as DCIS.  The report also states that the the tumor margins are not clean.  I'm sorry to say that you will probably need more surgery.  The report doesn't mention if there was cancer found in your lymph nodes.  Nor does it mention if you were hormone positive (ER..Estrogen) or hormone negative.  Nor does it mention if you are HER positive or negative.  All of this info needs to be investigated because it will help determine if you need  chemo and targeted therapy.  If there is no cancer cells in the nodes, you are slightly over the mark that makes you Stage 2.  If you are ER positive and HER 2 negative, you should have the Oncotype DX test done to see if your benefit of chemo would outweigh your risks.  Lastly, the LVI, while not prognostic, also should be weighed when discussing chemo.  Right now, the good news is that your cancer is treatable.  There are many threads devoted to younger women here.  I wish you well during active treatment and beyond.

WinningSoFar

Is this your post surgical path report?  I see that margins are mentioned. 

Cristi23

This is my pathology report from the mass that they removed from my breast. The tissue has been forwarded to the oncologist for the ER, HER2 diagnosis.. Sounds like it will be a pretty long journey but I have every intention on fighting as hard and long.as I have too. Thank you.

WinningSoFar

Yes, I agree with the commenters above.  The margins are not clear, so that probably indicates a little more surgery to get clear margins.  2.2 cm isn't small, but it's not huge either. 

There are a lot more hormone markers to come from the pathologist that will determine what kind of therapy should work best for you.  

I really don't know exactly what "-Lymph: Vascular invasion: Present". means--whether it refers to blood supply to the lymph node or to ?

Cristi23

From what I understand it is when the cancer cell breaks into the blood vessels or lymph channels.