After my core biopsy (and before surgery) I was told that my tumor was mucinous and that this meant it was not very aggressive and that I would probably not need chemo. I googled mucinous breast cancer of course and the limited information I found confirmed that mucinous tumors were slow growing and rarely spread elsewhere in the body. I was shocked and scared to learn I had cancer of course but I thought I was lucky also to have developed this rare, non-aggressive form.
So it was quite a blow when after my lumpectomy I was told that my tumor was in fact grade 3 and that I would defininitely need chemo. My oncologist never really explained how it could be mucinous and non-aggressive but at the same time grade 3 and aggressive. But clearly the grade 3 classification was more important than the mucinous classification.
Two years on, the way I look at it is I've done everything I can to rid my body of the cancer - surgery, chemo, radiation & now tamoxifen. My oncologist tells me that after all my treatment and as long as I continue taking the tamoxifen, my chances of a recurrance are about 12% or about 1 in 8 - which is the same chance the average woman has of developing breast cancer in the first place.
So now all I can do is live the healthiest life possible to hopefully reduce that 12% even further. I exercise regularly, watch my weight, hardly ever drink alcohol and eat a healthy diet - lots of wholegrains, fruits and veg. But you do have to enjoy life too so I'm not totally fanatical about it.
I think Deanne is right and that even with a grade 3 diagnosis if the cancer has been caught early and we look after ourselves we have an excellent chance of living long healthy lives. Hope that helps a little.
