Pathology results

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Sharon199009
Sharon199009 Member Posts: 34
edited September 2019 in Waiting for Test Results

Had my Lumpectomy 8/27/19 called my surgeon to see if the results where in yet. She isn’t in the office today, because she has surgery. My follow up surgery appointment is tomorrow at 11am. But her nurse told me that my surgeon said she will talk to me about my results tomorrow, but that everything is fine. If everything is fine, why would she need to talk to me about it tomorrow at my follow up appointment?

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited September 2019

    It's normal to see the surgeon to review the pathology report after breast cancer surgery. The pathology report provides lots of information that's relevant to the rest of the treatment plan.

    However when you say, "everything is fine", does that mean you don't already have a breast cancer diagnosis (which is normally the case for those having lumpectomy surgery)? Was your surgery an excisional (surgical) biopsy to remove something benign and determine if anything more concerning is present? If it's the latter, and if no cancer was found, the surgeon would still want to tell you the results and discuss any follow-up plans.

  • Sharon199009
    Sharon199009 Member Posts: 34
    edited September 2019

    I am the Lumpectomy for a high risk benign Papilloma which was directly under my nipple. She also removed the duct which was infected ( which we didn’t know it was infected until surgery, when she started cutting it and pus came out). No cancer diagnosis, just removed as the pathology results for the biopsy was high risk benign Papilloma. At least my follow up appointment is Tomorrow morning at 11am. So I don’t have to wait to long. The nurse just said “ she said she will talk to you tomorrow about your results. But that everything is fine. Those were her words exactly”

  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited September 2019

    Sorry, I was confused by the use of the term "lumpectomy". Although the surgeries are pretty much the same, usually the term "excisional biopsy" is used when there is no cancer diagnosis and the purpose of the surgery is to remove a high risk or problematic benign lesion - the surgery is in effect a biopsy to find out what more might be going on. The term "lumpectomy" is used once there has been a breast cancer diagnosis. I know that sometimes to simplify paperwork (one set of procedural documents instead of two), insurance companies, doctors and hospitals call the surgery a lumpectomy instead of an excisional biopsy but that can lead to confusion and an assumption that you have breast cancer.

    Since you already have an appointment scheduled for tomorrow, it makes sense that the surgeon will talk to you then about the results, regardless of whether the findings are benign or something more serious. Most doctors want to talk personally to patients about their results, good new or bad news, and don't pass the responsibility onto their staff. So I don't think you should read anything into the comment from the nurse or the fact that you weren't given the full results over the phone by the nurse.

  • Sharon199009
    Sharon199009 Member Posts: 34
    edited September 2019

    Thank you. The paperwork said Lumpectomy, but maybe it’s like you said. To make things more simple. I’ll let y’all know what the surgeon says to

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