Surgery is over.

HI Stacy,

There is so much to absorb at first, we have all been there.  When you see your doctor on the 15th he should go over your operative report and pathology report.  Ask for copies so you can review them later when you can understand them better.  Questions will come up for months.

Stage is determined by size and spread of the tumor.  Grade is a combination of three elements to tell you how aggressive your tumor is.  You'll want to know ER, PR and HER2 status.  These factors help determine your treatment course, what drugs, etc.  All this info will show up in your pathology report.  Your op report will tell you (and your doctor will mention) what the margins were around your tumor... it is important that the removed tumor is surrounded by tissue that does not have cancerous cells in it.  Occasionally patients have to return to surgery if the margins are not clear or if node(s) thought to be clean turn out to show cancer cells after further examination by pathology.  

Since you had a lumpectomy you will certainly have radiation, I think that is standard if you are stage 1.  If it is questionable about chemotherapy a piece of your tumor can be sent off for a test called OncotypeDX.  This is very expensive but increasingly insurance pays for it and also the company works with women below a certain income level to make it free.  Your doctor can tell you if you might benefit from this additional knowledge and if your situation makes you a candidate for the testing. 

There's tons more to learn but that will get you started.  And I just hate it when people tell me how lucky I am!  If I were lucky I would not have breast cancer at all!  They mean well but it is annoying  Good luck and don't be afraid or embarrassed to ask a lot of questions!

Pam