Panicked and confused

This happens sometimes. The docs don’t want to lose time waiting on the tests since there’s a wait for the next steps they need to schedule next too. They schedule those next steps then move everything around when there are surprises in the pathology. It is frustrating for us as patients because we feel relieved finally having a plan just to have it all turned upside down at last minute. RO is just covering all the bases. If your BS or MO never scheduled you for a breast mri prior to surgery, shame on them. Mri is much more sensitive than mammo and u/s and will pick up things those other two miss. Your MO would likely have scheduled CT and/or PET at some point anyway, RO is making sure it happens sooner than later. Glad theyre able to get you in so quick. Hoping for clear scans and smooth sailing here on out!🍀

Micyn - I got a CT scan of the breasts only before rads because my nodes were clear. Since you didn't get biopsy of the nodes, they are checking the rest of your body just to be safe, which is a good thing. They should have biopsied the nodes and use contrast dye to take out some nodes during the surgery to get the pathology report because you were grade 2 IDC. Invasive BC need to check nodes. I am sorry you are going through this but the thorough CT scan will give you a peace of mind and directions for the next phase.

Hi MiCyn, it's normal to have emotional bursts of excess energy, stress and worry, especially during the early stages of BC. Please never feel that you are alone, because you have plenty of company here. You were already given some excellent informative responses.

I thought I would add that conventional IDC cells "usually" are only along the outside periphery of the Papillary Carcinoma tumor, if one exists, and thus the "extension" (of IDC cells) is usually very minimal into the nearby stroma. This is a VERY GOOD prognostic feature when IDC is the invasive component WITH Encapsulated Papillary also present, even if the IDC is multi-focal.

Your medical team is focusing on your IDC because the invasive component always trumps the Encapsulated Papillary in making treatment decisions. You might wish to consult with your Pathologist on the actual "extension" of IDC cells and to verify that your IDC cells were isolated to the periphery of your Papillary tumor, as I had been told by Breast Pathologists that such cases rarely occur in the lymph nodes also, unless your Mitosis on your IDC lesion was unusually high. Just something to keep in mind.

I got the MRI you described before my surgery and before my oncodx results. You are absolutely right that the oncodx score does not equate to progression. I know a person with an oncodx score of 4 that was probably already stage 4, they just didn't know it at the time.

Oncodx is used both as a measure of if chemo will work well enough to reduce your recurrence risk significantly and how well will hormone therapy work.

They're not necessarily looking for mets but probably just ruling mets out. I had a hard time too with the MRI Hated it!

I had 1 node with micromets that showed up enlarged on mammo, U/S, MRI and Pet scan, two pre-surgery biopsies showed it negative, initial post surgery biopsy showed it negetive. Outside pathology showed micromets and an isolated tumor cell in a second one and the third node they removed was clear. So who knows what they will see but my micromets showed up as positive on scans.

My oncotype was 31 but I had all these tests prior to surgery and knowing my oncotype

It's hard to try and twist your thinking around when you are in the middle of it but instead of being terrified that they're adding tests, be encouraged that you have found yourself a great team that is proactive. They have to manage your physical needs AND mental needs and you need to know clearly where your cancer has stopped. Many Doctors only deal with the physical aspect of cancer and spend little to no time managing the mental and emotional side of it.

My insurance covers treatment just not the psychologist through my doctors office. Like I said one coworker who went through BC several years before me. She got me through it.