I had my meeting with my oncologist this morning to go over my pathology report and discuss treatment options. Overall the information the report gives us is positive. But they didn't change their minds on the whole having cancer thing. There is no spread to the lymph nodes and the cancer is in the low-mid part of the spectrum as far as aggressiveness/growth rate. Still a Stage I cancer, Grade 2. This, however, is where her agreement with the surgeon ends. Her take is that the tumor is 2.4 cm, which was its gross measurement, as opposed to the 1.7 cm that the surgeon suggested. She says the 1.7 measurement comes after too much handling and mashing and manipulating to be reliable, so as a rule they go with the gross measurement. That part doesn't change anything really.While technically the margins were "clean" they are a little too close for her comfort. She prefers a margin that is 0.5 cm from any cancer. My report shows that on one edge the margin is 0.2 cm and another edge is less than 0.4 cm.
Once we got past all of that, we were on to talk of chemo. I will have 6 courses of TCH regimen (Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin) starting August 24. I will receive one treatment every three weeks, so chemo will take eighteen weeks ending around Christmas. I can look forward to a new better 2012 ! I will also be consulting with the radiation oncologist to get his opinion on the margins and any possible need for radiation after chemotherapy and possibly another opinion.
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