Your Diagnosis

Breast cancers are as varied as the women affected by them. By looking at the many different characteristics of the cancer, you can size up its "personality" almost the way you analyze another person. Is the tumor small and low-key? Angry, aggressive, and fast-moving? Or is it very large but easy-going? Is its behavior wild and unpredictable, or does it play by the rules?

Many tests and analyses will be done over several weeks to figure out your diagnosis. The most critical test results—for your treatment and your long-term health—will tell you and your doctor:

• whether the cancer is non-invasive or invasive, and
• whether lymph nodes are involved and if so, how many?

In addition, be sure that your medical team looks at these features of the cancer:

• size
• tumor grade
• hormone receptor status
• HER2/neu oncogene overexpression, and
• margins of resection

You can get this information at any time, and you should always ask for it. The laboratory keeps your tissue samples for a long time after surgery, so these tests can be done later in the process of diagnosis if you insist on it. You may have to wait a few days or weeks for some of these results. The wait can be long and nerve-wracking. But remember: no matter what the doctors find, they can do something to help you. In this section of breastcancer.org, you'll learn how your many different test results add up to your unique diagnosis—and what that means for your treatment and your future.

The medical expert for Your Diagnosis is Marisa Weiss, M.D., breast radiation oncologist, Thomas Jefferson University Health System.

Dr. Weiss is a member of the breastcancer.org Professional Advisory Board, including more than 60 medical experts in breast cancer-related fields.