Pt 5: Thank you Facebook For Helping Me Decipher My Pathology Report

That morning was a whirlwind—Caden off to school, interview completed, calls made, news shared. I called and told Nick first, then my dad, and from there, the people closest to us.

At that point, all I knew was that I had Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, 2 centimeters in size. 

I don't know about you, but when I don’t have enough information, I turn to Google—then instantly regret it. That search led me to a Facebook group, hoping for clarity.

Instead, I found myself overwhelmed. The flood of posts, questions, and advice was intense, especially when I barely understood my own situation. I hadn't even looked at my pathology report—wouldn’t have known what to make of it if I had. The nurse who called with my diagnosis gave me only the basics.

Later that night, I posted in the Facebook group, asking where to find the full details of my diagnosis. And wouldn’t you know—it was all in that pathology report.

I copied and pasted my results, and a kind woman helped me break it all down.

Lesson #2: Understanding Your Breast Cancer Pathology Report

If you ever find yourself needing to decipher one, here’s what matters:

1. Invasive Ductal Carcinoma - Grade: This tells you how aggressive the cancer is. Mine was Grade II of III (Score 7/9)—moderately aggressive, based on how abnormal the cells look and how quickly they are likely to grow and spread.
2. Angio-lymphatic invasion: My pathology showed no angio-lymphatic invasion, meaning no cancer was found in the blood vessels or lymphatic channels near the tumor—a reassuring result!
3. Breast Ancillary Testing: This guides treatment decisions.
• Hormone Receptors:
• Estrogen Receptor (ER): I am ER+ (98%), meaning my cancer is highly responsive to estrogen. That makes hormone therapy for 5+ years a likely part of my treatment.
• Progesterone Receptor (PR): I am PR+ (68%), meaning my cancer is moderately responsive to progesterone—another sign that hormone therapy will be needed.
• Hormone therapy works by reducing or eliminating the body's estrogen and progesterone, so cancer cells have nothing to cling to.
• HER2 Status: I am HER2-, meaning my cancer does not overexpress the HER2 protein, so HER2-targeted treatments are not necessary.
• KI-67: Of the 7,000 cells that were looked at, this tells us what percent have cancer.  My percentage is 35% which is moderately high and means the cancer has a fair growth rate. Doctors like to see this below 20%. 

CLIFF NOTES: I have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in the left breast, ER+/PR+ hormone receptor status, HER2-, with moderate grade and cell growth activity.

Now I understood a bit more about what my diagnosis meant—but what came next?  All I could think about was what chemo and radiation would do to me.  

Two days later, on May 2nd, Nick and I met with a Nurse Navigator, and that conversation changed everything. It was the moment things started moving forward.