Hi
Just a question.
I was dx with invasive BC grade 2 but now they have changed it to me having a Grade 3… I dont mean to be dense but why? and what does it mean?
can anyone help
thanx
MEL
xx
Dear Mel
You may find our booklet ‘Treating breast cancer’ helpful in helping you to understand more about grading of breast cancer, you can read it via the following link:
breastcancercare.org.uk/docs/bcc_treating06_0.pdf
If you need any information clarifying or would like to speak to someone in confidence, please do feel free to contact our helpline on 0808 800 6000 where you can speak to one of our specialist nurses. The helpline is open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-2pm.
Kind regards
Lucy
Moderator
Breast Cancer Care
Hi Mel
Am so sorry to hear your news that your grade has been changed. Unfortunately doesn’t mean much to me, as I have not been told what grade or size and don’t know if I want to know now, in case so much worse. Hope you are doing OK and my heart goes out to you. This disease is the pits and wish there was something could do to get rid of it for everyone.
Take care
Love
Dawn
x
Hi Mel, i was told grade 3 at first, now it is 3 over 2, the grading just means how aggressive the cancer was, but even at grade three it can be very slow moving, i was told the first grade when i had my biopsy results, then it went down a tad after the cancer was removed and the histology came back, if your at all worried, get in touch with your bc nurse or “ask the nurse” on here, or the helpline on here, don’t be worrying unnecessarily
Alison xxxx
Mel
There are good explanations of grade/stage on the CancerBackup website.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss though.
Grade 1 is has the cells that most resemble ‘normal’ breast tissue, grade 3 the most different. Grade 3 sometimes means a more aggressive tumour, but as Alison says it can also be slow moving.
Hope this helps
Love Julie X
Hi Mel
Sometimes the grade of tumours is changed after biopsy…simply because surgery will remove a larger lump which can be analysed more accurately.
This is what Cancer Bacup says about grade:
Depending on the appearances, breast cancers are given one of three grades.
* Grade I is where the cancer cells look very like normal breast cells, with only slightly abnormal changes (these cancers are called ‘well-differentiated’.
* Grade III is where the cells look very abnormal and show little or no resemblance to normal breast tissue (these cancers are called ‘poorly differentiated’).
* Grade II is an intermediate grade (these cancers are called ‘moderately differentiated’).
The grade of a breast cancer is considered to be a guide to how aggressive the tumour is: a grade II cancer is likely to be more aggressive than a grade I and a grade III cancer is likely to be more aggressive than a grade II.
The grade of the cancer is, however, only one of a number of factors that doctors need to consider when predicting the outlook for individual patients and deciding on the treatment to give the best possible chance of cure. Among other important factors are the size of the cancer and whether or not it has spread to involve the lymph nodes under the arm."
Cancer is unpredictable. Many women who use this site have grade 3 cancers and a lot of survived quite a long time.
Jane
I am hoping to last a long long time, got lots to see and lots to do
Alison xxxxxxx
I too was told grade 2 at biopsy but was grade 3 after surgery, dx jan 04, i completely agree with what JaneRA has said.
Karen x
Hi,
Thanks all for that. I did do a little research myself but I started to panic with certain reacurring “agrressive” & “ife expectancy”.
As some of you have pointed out I want to be around for a long long time!
thank you again
Take care all
Mel
X