Mammogram results - IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

HI Jto-

first just breathe and give you mom a big hug and tell her you love her and you an deal with this. You actually do have a lot of information and I am posting a link from this website so you can research it an compare to you mom's specifics.

On a very broad level this is a cancer that is not confined to the ducts (milk) but has invaded through the wall. From what you wrote the size looks small but some of that is an estimate right now. At your mom's age the first thought is not to see the breast surgeon so the medical oncologist will be able to review the results and potential treatment options but you can read about them before you go.

I am a "freshman" being somewhat newly diagnosed myself and still learning. The "upper classmen" will be able to come on and post a lot more information but I don't want you to worry all night so you will have some light reading from this link.

Keep us posted.

http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/diagnosis

Hi - I'm a bit confused, too. Don't we need biopsies, not just mammograms, to give us specific answers? and Isn't staging (what treatment is recommended) possible only after surgery to really see what's going on?

I am not an upperclassman(great way to define the veterans) but I have been through the process. I can't begin to decipher what all the initial results for your Mom means but we do have a number of resident experts like Bessie. I can say I was DX from a mammogram but it was not confirmed until I had a biopsy. We all know mammogram results sometimes can be misleading even the new digital ones. After the biopsy the Radiologist called me to confirm the DX. My next visit was with a BS who explained what kind of BC I had and the stage and grade as well understanding nothing would be an absolute certainty until after the surgery I elected to do be it a mx or a lumpectomy and the Path report following that surgery would confirm. I had a lumpectomy, had to have a second one to even the margins and a Path report was generated from the surgery. That's when I found out I had a micromet in the SNode. Big surprise to my BS and a shock to me. In the past node involvement meant automatic chemo. That is no longer the case because of the Oncotype test. It is a test many oncologists use to decide which treatment plan is best for you. Because many women have been overtreated they needed another test/tool to give them more information. Oncotype tests do that. All that is down the road just trying to give you an overview. I ended up with Stage 2, Grade 1(that's the grade you want because it most resembles normal cells) and 33 radiation treatments. I am currently taking Tamoxifen to prevent a recurrence. So there are stages other than the BC stage your Mom will go through. Keep in mind the treatment of BC has come a long way. There are many options out there. My mother had BC in the late 80s and all there was were Mastectomies. Fast forwarding to now you are such a good daughter to be right there with your Mom. She will be inundated with information and will need someone to take notes. You are also smart to do your homework and be as prepared as you can be but don't be afraid to ask questions. You/she have the right and the doctors should be forthcoming with anything you want to know. Your Mom's Oncologist will be the proverbial go to person so its important to have a good relationship with him/her. There are a zillion out there some better than others.

Sorry to be so wordy but keep in mind it isn't the death sentence it used to be. We are all here for you and your Mom. This forum was my lifeline and it will be yours too. Keep the faith and keep us posted. Diane

jto21 - Breathe! These boards and site are full of solid info and great encouragement don't goggle stay here. Please note my profile...dx, lx&snd, rads, ht...we are all different...but fighting together.

(((Hugs))) to you and your mom. She is blessed to have you at her side. Take good notes, keep a file, ask questions, visit your BC center, check out support groups you can learn a lot in preparing your BC team. Find out what follow up care or services are offered and go!

Flagged mamo followed by stereotactic biopsy sent me on this path. It is doable big steps of trust and a lot if waiting until surgery and path results. Site has good info on understanding dx. IDC less than 1 cm, grade 2, my team said lx&snd. Glad I did very little discomfort and stress wear on me. If your mom goes this route she most likely will be given option not to do rads. Over 70, it is a choice some are given so ask. She may do lx&snd followed by HT and take an AI...her BC team will discuss,

Again, breathe...and just focus on today! She will be fine brave warrior now go blow some bubbles and LOL

(((Hugs)))

Cindy

Hi JTO - Sorry you and your mom are going through this; it is wonderful that she has you. The shock of a diagnosis is huge and scary - you hear 'cancer' and think the worst. The first thing my breast surgeon told me was, "Cancer that is confined to the breast will never kill you." Given the size of your moms cancer, it's likely that right now it's just in her breast (can't say that for sure -none of us can, but it is small). So it's really likely that they will want to cut it out - when they say 'lumpectomy' it can mean a very small out patient procedure which may be all your mom needs as far as getting that spot out. Breathe. They will probably also want to do a SNB as a check to make sure that the cancer hasn't spread to her nodes. Again small procedure. Breathe.

If your mom's tumor is .1 cm then even if your mom's tumor is very aggressive it would take it a long time to even be pea size. I had a 9cm tumor that didn't cause me any distress at all. That doesn't mean that they won't want to remove it, just that it's unlikely that anything would change too quickly. Please let us know how the appointment goes. Sending lots of hugs your way.