What question should I ask about the results of my breast biopsy?
Here are some important thoughts.
You are now on your way to get the results of your breast biopsy.
This could have been a needle biopsy as I have strongly suggested or it could have been
an open surgical biopsy, but the bottom line is you are now going to get the results of
the biopsy and here is the list and some concepts of important questions you should be asking.
The question #1 in your mind is the biopsy cancer or not and if it is that takes this
down one pathway, but let’s assume for a second that your biopsy results are benign,
not cancer.
What questions should you be asking.
Well, if you have the excisional biopsy done because of a benign fibroadenoma.
You want to make sure that in fact was totally benign and there is nothing to be worried
about, but on the other hand if there have been benign results that came in show things
like a typical ductal hyperplasia or a typical lobular hyperplasia.
These are important subjects that will be covered later here at Breast Cancer Answers.
Because the finding of a typical ductal hyperplasia may increase your risk of subsequent breast
cancer and you want to know if you had a benign result what additional imaging study should
be done in the future or you add any kind increase risk for breast cancer, etc.
Now let’s assume for a second then in fact the result show that you have a breast cancer.
This is the beginning of your journey about your breast cancer and you want to gather
as much information as you can at the beginning of that journey.
You should always have the results of your mammograms and your ultrasound examination
in your personal files.
You want to know if your cancer is in situ meaning that it is confined inside the ducts
of the breast or whether it's invasive and gone through the walls of the ducts of the
breast.
You want to know about your markers, your estrogen receptor marker, your progesterone
receptor marker and your HER2/neu.
These markers are very important in determining therapies down the road and that it is important
that you have these as part of your overall records.
You want to know if the surgeon or people that you have been referred to or part of
a multidisciplinary team where your case is going to be presented at a conference and
multiple specialists are going to discuss what is the best approach for your case.
You also want to know if you are going to need additional testing.
Those additional tests could include as an example a breast MRI examination.
Usually, when you are just finding out the results of your breast biopsy, it’s too
early often, it’s too early to be discussing whether you are going to be needing chemotherapy
or what other aspects there is going to be of your treatment.
You should not go running off to an operating room right away and so your cases then presented
to a multidisciplinary team.
It’s also important to remember that time is your friend that breast cancer is a galaxy
of diseases and what you ultimately want if you got breast cancer is for a very personalized
treatment program to be designed for your individual case.
These of the things are important, keep track of the things that I mention today be empowered.