How do I read my breast cancer pathology report?

How do I read my breast cancer pathology report?

The pathology report is used by your doctor to determine which treatments are right for you. A report is written each time tissue is removed from the body to check for cancer. These are called pathology reports. Each report has the results of the studies done on the removed tissue.

How long does it take to get a pathology report for breast cancer?

How long do pathology results take? Results usually take between one and two weeks. Some tests take longer than others and may be done in a different hospital to the one where you’re being treated. Occasionally pathologists get a second opinion about the results which can also delay them.

What does E cadherin positive mean?

E-cadherin is a test that the pathologist might use to help determine if the tumor is ductal or lobular. (The cells in invasive lobular carcinomas are often negative for E-cadherin.) If your report does not mention E-cadherin, it means that this test was not needed to tell what type of cancer you have.

How do I check my biopsy report?

Once a tissue sample is obtained, the pathologist will examine the tissue sample under the microscope in order to determine if it contains normal, pre-cancerous or cancerous cells. The pathologist then writes a pathology report summarizing his or her findings.

Is grade 3 breast cancer curable?

With aggressive treatment, stage 3 breast cancer is curable; however, the risk that the cancer will grow back after treatment is high.

What is the survival rate of invasive ductal carcinoma?

What Is Invasive Ductal Carcinoma? Invasive ductal carcinoma describes the type of tumor in about 80 percent of people with breast cancer. The five-year survival rate is quite high — almost 100 percent when the tumor is caught and treated early.

What if the biopsy is positive?

Another important factor is whether there are cancer cells at the margins, or edges, of the biopsy sample. A “positive” or “involved” margin means there are cancer cells in the margin. This means that it is likely that cancerous cells are still in the body.