Hello Beesie: Thank you kindly for your reply. I will read through that topic you suggested. Perhaps it will help me formulate some questions for my appointment.

Hello Ladies. I have an update to my original post here. FYI- I am 66 and post menopausal. I met with the breast surgeon Monday to discuss my breast biopsy results. I went in pretty anxious but the appointment went well as doc did a good job explaining which included a lot of repetition, which I was grateful for. I need to hear things more than one time. I brought my husband and he was going to take notes for me....but doc said she would take the notes so we could just listen and ask questions. She outlined all the details for us along with drawn illustrations for me to understand what I have going on with this DCIS. My Surgical Pathology Report indicated nuclear positive Estrogen Receptor (ER) in 90% of cells. ER Primary Antibody: Leica 6F11 (just realizing that we didn't discuss this antibody so not sure if it's relevent). 4 multi-core samples were taken from left breast at 6:00. DX: ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) Stage "0" with focal comedonecrosis and associated microcalcifications, 1 cm in length; histologic grade 2.

Doc recommended the expanded genetics test, RNA. I meet with the genetics counselor tomorrow. It takes 2 weeks to get results of this genetic testing.

Discussed need for appointments with medical oncologist and radiology oncologist. Talked about multiple docs. I asked her who she would want her daughter to choose.

Need to stop my Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) I have appointment next week with my endocrinologist who treats me for osteoporosis, osteopenia, hypothyroidism and prescribes my HRT.

Discussed options for treatment but final decision will be made after I receive genetic testing result. We discussed lumpectomy, mastectomy/reconstruction, radiation therapy,and endocrine treatment. She went over latest statistics and percentages for every option version. I went with prepared questions, most of which doc answered during our discussion. Other questions came to my mind and she addressed them all with great patience and caring.

The appointment was an hour long. My impressions were that doc was highly intelligent, provided information in a way we could understand it, gave us the notes she wrote, made a list of what we had to do next. Very important, she was easy to talk to and had a sense of humor (thank you). She also said she is not offended if I choose to get a second opinion as this is my body, my decision and that her staff will make it easy to get records to any doc should I choose second opinion. Her office staff is lovely and efficient as well. I felt comfortable with her as a person and a surgeon. When my husband and I left the office I felt much less anxiety than when I arrived.

So there you have it so far... I have some important decisions to make for my surgery and treatment. All things considered, I'm feeling grateful for my attention to annual mammograms because that meant early stage diagnosis for me and great PR for committing to annual mammograms.

I would appreciate any comments.

Hello marinochka.

I do not have a family hx of BC, but I do not know the cause of death of both of my grandmother's or other relatives from that generation who all died on the young side. My mother and my first cousin on my mother's side died of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct). They were both dx'ed end-stage and died at 81 and 49 respectively. We are seeking to identify if I have any cancer markers with the newest gene testing. I am waiting on the results of the RNA before making any choice of treatment.

My breast surgeon is in CT. We have 3 female breast surgeons in the Waterbury, CT area.

Hello ReeaRite,

I'm sorry about your diagnosis but glad you've found this support and information page. It is frightening when you get news of breast cancer. I'm glad to read that you have a trusted medical care and support system. Are you saying you already had your breast biopsy and it indicated malignancy or the mammogram indicated malignancy? I was unclear.

I've spent a lot of time reading and researching and have found valuable information. Some that was not mentioned to me when I met with the surgeon. I also spoke with several friends with similar DCIS diagnoses that have been through this already. We may have similar diagnoses but our circumstances are different. They each made decisions based on multiple variables. It gave me food for thought which is one of the reasons I decided to do my due diligence with research.

It sounds like you are ahead of me with a plan for yourself. I do like my breast surgeon but have yet to meet with and decide on medical and radiology oncologists. This is where I am in the process so far.

I did genetic counseling and had blood work done for the CancerNext genetic testing 2 1/2 weeks ago. I expect results should be back by the 16th. I met with my endocrinologist last week to discuss my current bone health. I've had osteoporosis for years and was on hormone replacement therapy for some bone support. The HRT was discontinued as my DCIS is fueled by estrogen as indicated in my biopsy report. She feels I need to go on a treatment for my osteoporosis as I've already had some fractures. My doc requested approval from my insurance company for Prolia which they had already denied last year. Hopefully with this new diagnosis it will get approved. She also changed an antidepressant med I was taking because if I go on endocrine therapy mine is contraindicated. If I'm going to go through the side effects of that therapy I want to make sure I get the full benefit of it. I accomplished a great deal with her so that's great. She's proactive and I appreciate that. I have a consultation with a plastic surgeon tomorrow in the event I decide on mastectomy, reconstruction or plastic surgery.

The more time I've had to research and learn, the more I realize that what I decide for treatment is a very important decision. Wishing you all the best in your process.

Hi ReeaRite.

Your breast biopsy pathology report is interesting to me. You received the DCIS Dx , staged, graded and sized. I'm curious reading about your "new places to check" due to "the newly found teeny tiny bits" that were found and written about in your path report that you had to go back to have biopsied. Did those teeny tiny calcifications show up on your diagnostic mammogram along with the first area that was biopsied? Or were they noticed during the biopsy? I will be interested to know what the pathologist and surgeon say about them.

Your grade is 3. Did your path report indicate if you had comedonecrosis. Mine did, but I am graded at 2.

My reading research has consisted mostly of learning more about DCIS and possible treatments for me in my situation. I read about radiation and endocrine treatment since I was ER+. I was concerned about my bones because I already have osteoporosis so I met with my endocrinologist to get her input. I found most of this information on this breastcancer. org site. The forums have been great because most members list in their biography the details of their cancer and treatment. I looked for members with a DCIS that had similar details to mine. Our DCIS is similar. It doesn't mean it's the same and that we will opt for the same treatment because many other variables come into play. I've been cautioned by members here and by the doctors not to compare because we really are all different. I've also been warned about the "forums"!!! lol Frankly, I've found this forum to be very informative and that members are helpful. I'm especially thankful for those members who have moved beyond their diagnosis, surgery and treatment and still come here to support other women. Kudos to those members.

Keep us posted ReeaRite and best wishes.