Monday, November 11, 2013

The results are in .....

     I have had a lot of people ask me about the results of my surgery and biopsy. After surgery, the Dr told my family that he was 90% sure that the tumor I had removed was benign. He was right, the tumor is benign. In my case, and it looks like other patients who have similar tumors removed, the tumor isnt the problem. Not exactly what I wanted to hear as I sat in a Doctors office alone. The good news is that my Doctor and the Pathologist caught this rare kind of tumor. From what I heard, it is a hard one to diagnose. I am lucky they caught it. Bad news, I have to continue to progress with this whole thing until we figure out what is really going on. "Needs further treatment or care" was not the worst thing that I would see on those results, but it for sure wasnt one that I wanted. The Doctor and my mom are going to talk and we are going to figure out what is the best move from here. That might be to wait 6 months to see if it changes. Or it might be to go in and have another surgery to remove the tissue that was around the lump. I might have to do more tests to see what were up against. I cant really explain in words how it is making me feel. Stressed and worried might be a good way to put it. I hate how it makes me feel. I feel like I cant really move on from it just yet like I was hoping and that makes me mad. I know that I have been a mess lately, and for that I am truly sorry. All I can say is, Im not over this yet. Im probably going to keep being a mess until I know. I am however very grateful to know that the actual tumor isnt cancerous. I know one thing for sure, I am going to continue to need love, support, and people to not hate me or resent me for talking about it one day or not wanting to talk about it the next. I think what has got me the most scared is the unknown of it all. I am by nature a worrier...always have been. Those around me have kind of been on high alert and that sends me into more stress and worry. I love them for supporting me and being there through this all, but sometimes talking about it has only made it way way worse. I had a really long talk with my mom and step dad the other night. They told me their concerns and that they are going to see this through, that they will support me in all of this. I can tell they mean that because they have done just that. I dont know what I would do with out them through this.

   At this point, we are getting a second opinion. Then we are going to educate our selves as much as we possibly can and go from there. I dont know who would actually read the rest of the post, but in doing some digging online, I found some information on the type of tumor I have/had. Consider yourself updated, to whoever reads this blog ( not really sure who that is) 

Phyllodes Tumors

Phyllodes Tumors Diagnosis

Phyllodes (fil-oy-deez) tumors are a rare form of breast tumor; they can be benign (not cancerous), malignant (cancerous), or borderline (having characteristics of both).
Phyllodes tumors account for fewer than 1% of all breast cancers. Their unusual name comes from the Greek word for “leaf”, because they have a leaf-like appearance under the microscope.  Some inherited genetic disorders are known to increase the risk of developing a phyllodes tumor, but in most cases, the cause is unknown.
Most phyllodes tumors are benign.  They may look very much like common benign breast tumors called fibroadenomas. Often, the pathologist needs to look at the whole tumor under the microscope to make a diagnosis. This is why surgery to remove a phyllodes tumor is recommended, even if it is thought to be benign.  Unlike other kinds of benign breast lesions, benign phyllodes tumors can grow very quickly and become very large.
Malignant phyllodes tumors are a form of breast cancer; however, they are different from more common kinds of breast cancer. Unlike breast cancer which begins in the milk ducts, malignant phyllodes tumors begin in the connective tissue that surrounds and supports the ducts and lobules of the breast. Phyllodes tumors contain different kinds of cells, but the cancerous part is a sarcoma, or cancer of connective tissue. These tumor cells are very different than ductal breast cancer cells, and behave differently.

Phyllodes Tumor Staging and Treatment

Staging of malignant phyllodes is different from that of other types of breast cancer.  Lymph node status is not as important in staging these tumors as in other kinds of breast cancer.  This is because when sarcomas spread, they typically do not travel through the lymphatic system.  Even when sarcomas are very large tumors, lymph nodes are usually negative for cancer, and axillary lymph node dissection (removal of the lymph nodes under the arm) is often not necessary.
Treatment of malignant phyllodes tumors is also somewhat different than that of more common kinds of breast cancer. Phyllodes tumors that are only in the breast, whether benign or malignant, are most often treated with local therapy alone.  Only if the cancer is known to have spread to other parts of the body will systemic therapy be recommended.
Local therapy is aimed at preventing the tumor from coming back in the breast. Local therapy for a phyllodes tumor will include surgery (wide excision or mastectomy) to remove the tumor and extra tissue around it.  Sometimes, radiation is given as well.
Systemic therapy (chemotherapy) may be used if a malignant phyllodes tumor has spread outside of the breast, though this not common.  Your oncology team will recommend a treatment plan based on what is known about malignant phyllodes tumors in general and specifically tailored to your disease.Because these tumors can recur, close follow-up with frequent breast exams and imaging tests are usually recommended after treatment.

No comments:

Post a Comment