Mother-in-law aged 75 just diagnosed

Thank you both so much! I figured I'd move my post over here, in the caretaker section.

I'll update the profile here as we know more and come back with questions as I have them.

Most appreciated!

Thank you much. I see you're from Delaware. I went to college there, 20+ years ago now (gulp). We vacation at the beach there annually. I know my MIL will miss it if she can't make the trip this year, depending on her treatment plan.

Yesterday there were multiple meetings at Kaiser with her various doctors (RO, MO, Surgeon), and I joined by phone after dropping her off. No family members allowed due to COVID polices still. It is what it is. At least now I know what RO and MO are.

Team all sounded very competent and explained things clearly to my MIL. On the negative side, its a grade-3 tumor and is "triple-negative", on the plus side, she is clinically stage 1. No evidence of lymph swelling or any other spread, and size is just under 2cm. Surgery will be on 6 July. Plan is to have breast-conserving surgery ("lumpectomy") and 6 weeks later start adjuvant chemotherapy, followed by radiation to the affected breast. I dont know the exact chemotherapy drug plan...yet. Pathological staging wont be done until after surgery, when they excise sentinel nodes and test them. She seemed a little overwhelmed afterward, but thankfully I was able to catch everything. The MO and Surgeon both examined her physically and found no lymph swellings, and everybody seems to be pretty straightforward that this is on the small side but due to its non-receptor status it needs aggressive follow up with chemotherapy to ensure curative treatment.

MIL was upbeat. At 75, she says "I'd just like another 10 good years, what do you think doc?" I have a sneaking suspicion that 85 year olds say the same thing though! I also pointed out that, as much as I and her daughter and all of us can love and support her, we dont have the direct experience of being through this and she should reach out to others who have walked this road and get their perspective. She said "You've all been so great and so much help." I told her "Hey, its what families do! Also, I need to be up front here, {her name}, if you get chemotherapy induced alopecia, I'm not shaving my head in sympathy with you. I'll do anything you need, but I won't do that" We all had a good chuckle. But she does have an uncertain route of chemotherapy and all its accompanying side-effects and she knows it. I reminded her that unlike someone who finds breast cancer because they perhaps fall and break a bone and have advanced metastatic disease, the focus of her treatment now is 'curative' and she should focus on that.

I guess I need to jump on to the TN topic area and see what other adjuvant therapy is available after the MO and RO are done their part, any ongoing treatments that would ensure this does not return either locally or metastatically in the future. Or is it just a 30 sided dice you roll every year and either it comes up or or it doesn't?

Her surgery is today. They are sampling sentinel lymph nodes and removing her breast tumor. Then its off to pathology for the "real" look at things, although from what I gathered that won't change her plan for adjuvant follow up treatment.... unless full tumor pathology is different from the samples taken maybe. I guess if her SLNs are clear her outlook is really good, and if they are not clear, it is less so good but that is why adjuvant chemotherapy is done, and radiation too. I suppose once pathological staging is done I should change topics and talk to some folks about types of chemotherapy done and what other follow ups are done to monitor her.