Reactive Lymphadenitis - what is it?

lairodi · January 2016

My mom was diagnosed with Breast cancer three weeks back. The tumor was 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm x 2.0 cm. The doctor suggested a mastectomy and she underwent the surgery last week. We got the pathology report back and there are terms in the report that I don't understand and I am hoping anyone of this forum could help me interpret it.

"Sections of the tumor bed reveal granulation tissue with sprinkling of mononuclear. Immediately surrounding breast tissue shows changes of fibrocystic disease in foci. There is no evidence of residual tumor. The section of uninvolved breast does not show any pathology. All resection margins are free

0/11 lymph nodes show mestastases. All lymph nodes show changes of reactive lymphadenitis

Section reveal lobules of adipose tissue. No lymph nodes seen."

Does this mean that everything is clear? Does she still need to go through Chemo/radiation?

Appreciate any feedback regarding this! I don't want to unnecessarily alarm my mother if everything is clear.

Moderators · January 2016

Dear lairodi, Welcome to the BCO community. We are so glad that you reached out here in support of your mom. It will probably be helpful to have your mom's surgeon explain the pathology report to both of you. Here is a link to information on our website about understanding your Pathology Report. This may answer some of your questions. Your mom's doctor is the best person to answer your questions about further treatment. Does she have a follow-up appointment where you can address these questions. Keep us posted. The Mods

Edited to update link.

BarredOwl · January 2016

Hi Lairodi:

I don't know the answers to your questions, and I agree with the Moderators that the medical oncologist (MO) will evaluate the pathology report, your mother's overall health and presentation (e.g., age, other conditions), and make recommendations about what additional treatments your mother should consider. They will work with her to figure out the risk/benefit of any proposed intervention.

But you are right to work towards understanding the content of the pathology report, since you and your mom will want to understand how the findings relate to her proposed treatment plan, and what is or is not recommended.

There are different kinds of breast cancer, and they are not all treated in the same way. For example, pure DCIS is treated quite differently from invasive breast cancers, such as invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Please understand the type of breast cancer she has.

In addition, even within a single type of invasive breast cancer, such as IDC, factors such as the tumor size, grade, margin sizes, node status, estrogen receptor (ER) status, progesterone receptor (PR) status, and HER2 status affect the likely treatment recommendations. Other types of tests may also inform decision making in certain cases.

Please study the pathology report and look for these kinds of things. You can ask how they are factored in to any treatment recommendations. Make a list of questions about anything you do not understand (like from your post) and ask her doctors to explain what they mean, and whether or not there are any implications for her treatment plan.

If she has invasive disease that is ER and/or PR positive and HER2-negative, ask if she is a candidate for the OncotypeDX test for invasive disease, as this may provide useful information for deciding about chemotherapy.

Confirm with her doctors that the margins are adequate (for purposes of avoiding radiation).

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

It is nice your mom has you to help her.

BarredOwl

Moderators · January 2016

You're totally right, BarredOwl. We'll fix it ASAP so there is no more confusion. Thank you so much!

The Mods

Reactive Lymphadenitis - what is it?

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