US v. Lumpectomy: tumor size

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belchepb
belchepb Member Posts: 2
edited June 2014 in Stage I Breast Cancer

A question about tumor size. 

My mom's mammogram and ultrasound showed a 7 mm tumor.  She had a lumpectomy on Monday.  Surgeon called yesterday.  Tumor was actually 1.8 cm.  Is this normal?

My counsin, a medical oncologist treats breast cancer patients, told me before surgery she expected it would end up being about 1.2 cm.  

Did anyone else have this experience?

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  • duckyb1
    duckyb1 Member Posts: 13,369
    edited May 2011

    Sorry about your Mom.............

    When the BS saw my tumor on ultrasound, he said he thought it was aout 2 to 2.5 cm.,After surgery the report came back that it was 1.1 cm.........great news, so yes the size is just a best guess on the part of the BS.

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited May 2011

    The size can vary. The tools they have to see things (Mammo, US, even MRI) are not 100%. I know my radiologist that did my biopsy told me that typically the size can be +/- 1 cm! Initially I was told 7cm. MRI showed 6.5cm. Final was 5.5cm but that was the invasive part only. With the DCIS part it might have been 6.5cm.

    So an increased (or decreased) size of 1cm is not unusual. 

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  • NewatThis
    NewatThis Member Posts: 41
    edited May 2011

    Yes, it totally happened to me too.  Mammo said it was about a quarter of the size that the final lumpectomy said.  But one oncologist told me that "size doesn't matter!"  It's the oncotype, she said. Best wishes,

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited May 2011

    Unfortunately, yes, it's common for the actual size not to match the estimate. Not sure what the margin of error is.  The tools are helpful but not perfect. Not sure if your doc told you, when staging they look at many factors, but in terms of size, anything under 2 cm is considered stage 1.

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  • DAnne01
    DAnne01 Member Posts: 31
    edited May 2011

    MRI showed my tumour was 5.75 cm but actual size was 9 cm, but that is the way with lobular cancer.

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  • nlm
    nlm Member Posts: 96
    edited May 2011

    Yes the measurements can be off. You are looking at and measuring a 3 dimensional mass in two dimensions and making an estimate.

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