No cancer found at surgery--input please?

macmomma
macmomma Member Posts: 62
edited August 2018 in ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)

I was diagnosed with ILC by core biopsy 6/18--thought it was about 5 mm. The shadow had been visible on mammogram for at least a year, but had been read as normal tissue. Had to delay surgery until 8/6 because of a large hematoma and tissue damage from the biopsy. MRI showed 1.1 cm tumor and no nodes. I was on 3.5 weeks of arimidex before my surgery and had my mastectomy 8/6 and the pathology showed negative sentinel nodes and no evidence of cancer (no atypia, no dysplasia, etc.) in either breast even at the site of the biopsy marker. As I see it, possibilities include: 1. mixed up slides at biopsy, 2. biopsy got the entire cancer, 3. Arimidex got rid of it, 4. miracle.

A question that now looms is--should I start back on the arimidex when I get the OK from the plastic surgeon? Of course, I'll talk to my MO, but also just putting it out there. Anyone else experienced it? Heard of it? I'm also going to get all my slides and make an appt at U. Pittsburgh for second opinion in October.

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  • I_Spy
    I_Spy Member Posts: 507
    edited August 2018

    Macmomma hopefully some experienced chemo girls will chime in here, but just from what you described it sounds to me like the Arimidex shrank the tumor until it was imperceptible? That is why they do chemo before surgery as I understand it. It does sound miraculous.

    I'm sure your MO will have an idea of how that all happened. But hey -- congrats on the negative node! And I love second opinions, so good job on that.

    I'm sure some chemo sisters and ILC sisters will jump in... keep us posted!

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  • beach2beach
    beach2beach Member Posts: 996
    edited August 2018

    Great News!.. Not sure how fast the AI would kick in to help regress a tumor, possibly the biopsy took it. Mine was 7mm but still showed at final pathology. What did your surgeon say about it? You had a mastectomy so even if you had the slides reviewed by someone else and they say oh yes, there is ILC, you had the mastectomy. I would go the same route, second opinion just to ease my mind and get some answers . I'd think it would be the oncologists call on when to go back on the AI. Hey I'm all for miracles!!

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  • macmomma
    macmomma Member Posts: 62
    edited August 2018

    I really need to track this thing down. If the slides were mixed up at biopsy, there's some poor woman who has ILC who was told shd didn't! I'm afraid the MO will just say " Oh, yeah. You had it by biopsy, so go ahead and stay on the AI for 5 years." I'm not sure I can accept that without knowing for sure what the situation is. This group is usually very vocal, and I'm surprised I haven't had more replies to this question--makes me think it's quite unusual.


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  • Georgia1
    Georgia1 Member Posts: 1,321
    edited August 2018

    Hi Macmomma. I had two ILC tumors pre-surgery, had a lumpectomy, and my final pathology showed only one. In my case the smaller (3 mm) tumor was almost certainly removed in the biopsy, so it was already gone at surgery. At 5 mm, that could be what happened to you.

    I certainly understand your concern and getting a second opinion seems right on.

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  • macmomma
    macmomma Member Posts: 62
    edited August 2018

    Thanks. You're the only one I've heard from who has had that experience. Interestingly, the Mammatome core biopsy typically pulls a sample 3 mm in diameter.

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  • VeloLisa
    VeloLisa Member Posts: 4
    edited August 2018

    I was diagnosed with ILC in right breast. A suspicious area in the left breast was discovered by pre-surgical MRI. Biopsy results were IDC in left breast, so bilateral breast cancer. The post surgical pathology report said no signs of cancer in left breast. They told me the biopsy must have got it all. I guess it does happen occasionally.

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