Pathology Report

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renmars21
renmars21 Member Posts: 55
edited June 2014 in DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

Hi, I am 40 and diagnosed with DCIS my right breast, no family history of breast cancer or any cancer for that matter. They biopsied 4 areas, 1 area came back as low grade and the others came back as Intermediate to High grade.  My pathology report also stated that one of the samples came back as Highly Suspicous for Stromal Invasion...I'm not liking the sound of this. Because the DCIS is throughout I am scheduled for a masectomy on 1/18 and I am so scared that they will find something more.  

What exactly does Stromal Invasion mean and if found does it normally require chemo.

Thanks for any insight you can give!

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited January 2011

    What your pathology reports means is that although no invasive cancer was found, from the appearance of the connective tissue (the stroma) there is a risk that your area of cancer may include some invasive cancer.

    Until your entire area of cancer is removed, there is no way to know for sure if in fact you do have any invasive cancer, or if you have pure DCIS.  If you have some invasive cancer, the question of whether or not you will need chemo will depend on the amount of invasive cancer that is found, whether there is nodal involvement (i.e. cancer in the lymph nodes) and the aggressiveness of the invasive cancer (possibly as determined by an Oncotype test).  If your nodes are clear and you have only a small amount of invasive cancer (a microinvasion, as I had, or just a bit more), or if the invasive cancer is not aggressive, chemo would not be needed.   

    Good luck with your surgery.  And fingers crossed that the final pathology is pure DCIS, or at most, just a tiny amount of invasion.   

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  • renmars21
    renmars21 Member Posts: 55
    edited August 2011

    Thanks Beesie, I was kind of hoping you would respond. I've found your posts to be so helpful.  My Breast Surgeon does not believe there is any node involvment by looking at my films but she will be doing an SNB to be sure. In my situation, I'm wonderfing what the precentages are that they will find some invasive. Since my diagnosis, I always feel like I'm waiting for the next big bomb to drop with more bad news. This was my baseline mammo and was told that about 80-90% get called back for a second view, so when I was called back I did not expect to hear that they recommended a biopsy.  I went for the biopsy thinking 80% of microcalcifiactions are benign, only to get the call that it was DCIS. Every bit of news seems to push me futher down the ladder. I'm trying to be optomistic for me an others around me.  I do feel fortunate though that as of right now it is DCIS.

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  • valariew
    valariew Member Posts: 12
    edited January 2011

    Hi renmars21, so sorry you have to be here but glad you are.   Were all your biopsies close together?  I had 2 spots at 3 oclock and 6 oclock the first time and was worried about invasion as well.  The surgeon told me that the ducts are in quandrants... like 4 of them.  So if your biopsies are in the same quadrant, it could all be related, traveling thru the ducts.  At first my surgeon would have taken out a whole quandrant...but he ended up doing 2 lumpectomies that I was glad of.  It was all DCIS no invasion, SNB negative.  It can be worrysome until you get the news from pathology after surgery, that is like sitting on pins and needles. 

    I hope you get good news... if you have the mx, then you dont have to worry.

    Hugs, Valariew

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  • renmars21
    renmars21 Member Posts: 55
    edited August 2011

    Thanks Valarie. It apears they are in different quadrants. They sampled Right Upper Upper Posterier, Right Upper Outer Interior, Right Upper Outer Anterior in 2 areas, unfortunately they cannot save my breast..it has to go which I'm ok with.  I'm now panicing about the ending pathology report. Praying for good news.

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