Hi
Today I got most of my pathology results after a MX left breast 2 weeks ago.
Surgen told me they have now found 3 smallish ductal invasive tumors (originally 1 then 2 diagnosed after mamogram 2 ultrasounds and MRI) with large pre cancer area as well.
8mm tumor grade 2 er+ her2+ . Other 2 I still to find out receptors on them. But 12mm tumor grade 3.
Clear lymph nodes. But only 0.1mm margin!! This is worrying me, does this margin sound acceptable?
Because of her2+ I am to have Chemotherapy and herceptin and hormone treatment. Not sure about radiotherapy as still to have meeting with oncologist in about 2 weeks time I think.
I have been back in hospital last week because of hematoma and infection . Seems to be settling now but have massive seroma at the moment.
Would appreciate your views on margin.
Thanks x
Hope someone with more knowledge answers you re margin, but gave a hug in the meantime {{{HUG}}}
Thanks Lisa Mary
I see from other threads you are still waiting on information on your diagnosis. I am 46 and know how hard this is and if they add in a new scan or biopsy it is like being drip fed bits of information over the weeks, this is extremely hard to stop yourself over thinking. I am an over thinking master lol. So now only look at this Web site. No googling allowed for me.
I am just about there with the full picture, ( thought they would have had all stats by today but hey another week of wondering) I do feel alot calmer than those early weeks . I have started to eat again ,Yey, this was just after my masectomy . I think it’s quite a relief to know it’s away and not up to anymore damage. Just that small margin driving me mad at the moment.
Hugs 2 you xx I will watch out for you.
Hi Vintage,I had this conversation with my breast care nurse before sugery and she said different surgeons have different expectations of clear margins,some are not happy unless it’s 2mm,most are happy with 1mm and some are happy with less as long as no cells are at edge of area removed,and that’s in the same hospital !!Sounds like 1mm is somewhere in the middle.
I found this interesting too Jill as my path report says ‘clear margin’ 4mm. Now does that mean the surgeon just took 4mm to be safe …mine was deep by chest wall so maybe that’s why more was taken although BC nurse says ‘nearest margin was anterior wall’. It’s strange you sit there…listen…don’t query anything and when you get home you wish you had. This was yesterday at annual review. Still waiting for mammogram.x
From what I’ve read guidance seems to have changed re margins and the risks associated with cells close to the edge so hopefully less women will need further surgery but won’t be put at greater risk.Horrible waiting for that first post treatment mammogram isn’t it?
I haven’t got a clue what mine where ,I was a mess at my post op appointment the only thing I can remember is him saying from our point of view it’s good news and that there was an area of DCIS around the tumour!!!
Hi Vintage I had close margins too, of .7mm, which is better than positive margins by the way, but just better to be safe than sorry & take a bit more. The reason was that they found some DCIS in the margin which had not been visible on mammo or u/sound. They reviewed my case at their MDT (multi disciplinary committee) & recommended surgery to excise more margin. I won’t say that was an easy moment being sent back to the start, after 2 weeks of healing & starting to feel better, but better to get proper margin as it affects prognosis. I am HER2+/grade 3 too. Definitely do not Google HER it will scare your pants off BUT it is largely out of date & doesn’t take into account the effects of Herceptin, which means our prognosis is no longer that different from HER2-. Mine was 2cm, so similar to yours. I was told it used to be 2mm, but was recently changed to 1mm. xx
Ive no idea what my margins were, does it tell you on one of your pathology reports? I will have to look back through my letters and see, the surgeon who gave my my results just said clear margins so I took that and ran without asking anymore! Im curious now ?
Hi Jobey I reckon no news is good news on margins. If they didn’t mention them, they must have been fine. Oddly I got a load of internal e-mails from around the time of my diagnosis sent to my home last week. It quite freaked me out to read the e-mails from radiographer, ultrasonographer & pathologist to my surgeon discussing how ‘eccentrically’ my tumour was held within the sample. I mean whatever garbage language is that? Doctors! Why don’t they just say, the tumour wasn’t quite in the middle of the bit you cut out mate. Goodness knows where those e-mails were supposed to be going, but for sure they weren’t supposed to be sent to me. What shocked me was how casual the language was, ‘yep, looks like bad news to me’ from the ultrasound bod. Thanks guys, that’s my life you’re discussing with your throw away comments?.xx