We ended up cancelling our afternoon appointment with Dr. Cox today after texting with her in the morning about additional test results. She suggested we meet with the oncologist before we discuss surgery options. She shared information from the biopsy about three hormone receptors ER (estrogen receptor), PR (progesterone receptor and HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2), which all came back negative (typically called triple negative breast cancer). This means that growth of the type of cancer I have is NOT stimulated by estrogen, progesterone, or HER2. If any of them had been positive then they would have been able to give me a receptor blocker to slow down the growth of the tumor. Since this is not an option the oncologist will be looking at Chemo and/or Radiation as options for treatment to slow the growth of the cancer.
Dr. Cox was very frank in sharing with me that in almost all cases of triple negative breast cancer requires chemotherapy before surgery, which is why she thought it best that I meet with the oncologist first.
When I asked her if the triple negative was good or bad news she said: “To be honest I would prefer that it was estrogen and progesterone positive. That way we have more treatment options. Triple negative can be harder to treat and almost always requires chemotherapy, so I wouldn’t say it’s 'good news' but it's not necessarily bad news in terms of being untreatable.”
I will have the PET scan tomorrow (Wednesday). The results from that will be important in establishing what stage level I am in for cancer and will help determine a treatment plan for fighting the cancer. I told some of you earlier that the grade of the tumors biopsied were grade 3 out of 3. Grade makes reference to how mutated or changed from the original cell it has become — 3 being the most changed on the scale. This also indicates how aggressive the cancer is. The grade of the tumor is different than the stage of cancer I am in.
In preparation for the PET scan, I have been on a high-protein, no-carb, no-sugar diet today drinking lots and lots of fluids. No food six hours before the test. The scan should last about 2 hours. I will receive an injection of a glucose solution combined with radioactive tracers and then I will wait for an hour for that to spread throughout my body. The scan will then take place inside a tube similar to an MRI and can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. It will check all of my tissue, bones, and organs for any other signs of cancer.
We are being strengthened by all your fasting and prayers!
More on hormone receptors if you are curious.
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