Oncotype or mamoprint or either?

Lajonesin

Hi everyone! I just got some pathology results back from breast surgeon and I’m not even sure how to read them. Basically she told me I was Stage 1 A, 2 tumors with one being 3.7 cm and the other .6 cm. The larger one was LCI S and the smaller was tubular carcinoma. Of the 5 sentinel nodes dissected, 2 had macro metastases with one being 4mm. The others were negative and all margins were negative. She’s ordering a bone scan, which makes me nervous, and wants me to see a radiation specialist because she thinks I’ll need radiation. Ugh! I’m so confused and nervous and just plain scared now. Pre surgery I was told I had ILC, then right after surgery I was told all nodes were negative, and now pathology says I had 2 tumors, 2 kinds of cancer, and positive lymph nodes. Is this just the normal road we all travel? I wish I could read my results but I just can’t figure any of it out.

Peregrinelady

That is a great score, Only girl! Yay, no chemo! Just remember that includes taking the hormonal therapy. You can breathe easier now.

JLBinPDX

Peregrinela, what do you mean by "includes taking the hormonal therapy"? What are you referring to there?

Peregrinelady

Hi JLB, I was referring to Tamoxifen or Arimidex, etc. The Oncotype recurrence score is based on the person taking the antihormonal drugs for at least 5 years. I have occasionally seen women here that couldn’t believe they had a recurrence when they had a low score, but then admit that they either refused the drugs or quit early on.

OnlyGirlof5

I, too, was confused with that post Peregrinelady. Thank you for clarifying. My MO started me on Tamoxifen. First dose was last night. We will discuss OP in 6-12 months. AI is definitive post-menopausal.

JLBinPDX

So the "distant recurrence risk at 9 years" includes if you're taking an AI or Tamoxifin for those nine years. I see that now. But does anyone know what "distant" recurrence mean? What's the "distant" part? My risk at nine years shows as 12%. Considering that the general population is probably somewhere in the 8 or 10%, 12% doesn't seem too bad. Am I thinking correctly? My MO said something like that, just checking here as well.

Beesie

Distant recurrence means metastatic, i.e. breast cancer cells are found in another part of the body, beyond the breast and the underarm lymph nodes.

Since the Oncotype test was developed at a time when Tamoxifen and the AIs were only prescribed for 5 years, the 9-year distant recurrence risk estimate assumes that the patient will take 5 years of endocrine therapy.