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JT82's avatar
JT82
Member
11 years ago

surgery results

I had my follow up today after lumpectomy and sentinal node biopsy. Was very happy to hear i had clear margins. And clear lymph nodes. The tumour was larger than expected, at 31mm x 16mm. My pathology report says stage 2a. I am also hormone positive and Her2 positive. So my treatment will be chemo, radiotherapy, hormone blockers and herceptin. My surgeon seemed quite positive that this is all good news. Im just feeling really overwhelmed by the prospect of years of treatment. Im so happy to have clear nodes and margins, but so scared of the future still. I just want to see my baby girl grow up. Im trying to be positive, and perhaps im just tired but its hard today.

1 Reply

  • JessicaV's avatar
    JessicaV
    Member
    11 years ago

    Hi Jane,

    It took me a while to realise it, but early breast cancer with no positive nodes, and clear margins, and no measurable metasases and that is has receptors (either hormone or HER2 or both) is not a death sentence but a chronic illness that may even be cured. So be of good hope.

    There are now very good treatments for the sort of cancer you have that make it very likely you will watch your daughter grow up, marry and have children of her own.

    Although being hormone positive and HER2positive means several years on hormone blockers and a year on Herceptin, it does mean that if you accept these treatments and stick with them , they may even cure your cancer, not just bring it into remission. These treatments have a good chance of mopping up any rogue cells left floating around after your surgery and making sure your body is a hormone-unfriendly environmen that will  discourage any tiny metastases from growing into cancers. And the node-negative and clear

    All the best, it is scary and hard to get through the early weeks.