Hi Clarelou welcome to the forum and believe it or not that is the best news as the Cancer sounds like it has been caught early and therefore very treatable . In terms of the scan for lymph nodes it is usually pretty accurate. However, they always take the Sentinel node and send that for biopsy so you will get that result back at the same time as the lump is removed in surgery and been sent for to be tested. This is normal practice during breast conserving surgery ie Lumpectomy.
As you are hormone positive what that means is the Hormones need to be shut off and this will happen with medication which you will be prescribed and take for between 5-10 years.
Hi Gail hope you don't mind me jumping in here you seem to know your stuff and I am clueless, i have been told I have grade 3 fast growing cancer it's also NST so if looked this up and it seems to be a common one so that's good I think, what I wanted to ask is what is HER2 and ER and PR positive and negative what does this mean no one has mentioned any of this to me at the clinic, I am waiting for chemo hopefully to start next week then the operation then radiation, can you shed any light on this? Thank you x
I had the same diagnosis in April, stage 1, grade 2. I had a lumpectomy in May. At my results appointment two weeks after surgery, the first words my surgeon said as I walked in “It’s good news!”. In my head I thought “What’s good news about having cancer?”. Three lymph nodes removed but no involvement therefore no spread so that was the good news! ER+PR+HER-, Oncotype score was low so no chemotherapy needed. I start radiotherapy sessions next week followed by five years of hormone therapy.
Once I knew my treatment plan I felt somewhat calmer though still worried. The nurses at the breast clinic are so caring and supportive.
Some breast cancers are hormone or a particular protein receptive ER + is oestrogen Receptive which mean oestrogen fuels its growth, PR+ is progesterone receptive meaning progesterone fuels it’s growth and HER2 is a protein your body produces naturally and your cancer produces that fuels it’s growth. My breast cancer is ER negative PR mild positive and HER2 positive. I was told these details by the consultant after my biopsy results and it was written on a booklet I was given called ‘your cancer diagnosis’ I have been given so much information but I am learning from comments on the forum that I’m exceptionally lucky to be being treated at Wycombe hospital, they are fantastic. Mine is also grade 3 and was described as fast growing, I also have lymph node involvement. Good luck with the start of your treatment and I hope you can get the answers you need x
