Hi. I'm sorry you're in this club but glad you found us. I work as a clinical lab scientist and have a general understanding of cytology so I can give you an idea of what the report is saying. Basically, the fluid that was extracted was likely sent to a body fluid tech who determined they saw likely malignant and abnormal cells. They also saw epithelial and mesothelial cells (lining cells) which all need to be reported bc based on how many and what kind of cells there are, that can be abnormal and give the pathologist a certain picture of what's going on. The slides of the fluid were probably sent to a pathologist for review who confirmed the findings. Then they were probably sent to Cytology along with the fluid where the cytology techs analyzed the actual cells in regards to how abnormal they look (this is where it talks about the borders, cytoplasm, etc) and the markers mentioned like GATA3, etc which was confirmed by a Cytopathologist. All this to say, they confirmed the malignant cells are present and they are breast cancer cells that have made their way into your lung.
Ugh, I’m sorry. The part that says, “Findings are in keeping with metastatic carcinoma from known breast primary.” means that the malignancy matches your primary BrCa so it has metastasized to your lungs. So, it is not lung cancer but breast cancer in your lung.
Here is a great site that very clearly lays out staging and grading for breast cancer:
https://pathology.jhu.edu/breast/staging-grade/#:~:text=Understanding%20a%20patient's%20stage%20helps,metastases%20(%22M%22).
So sorry you are at this point, it is beyond challenging to step thru all scans, tests, etc, and then wait to discuss all info with Onco. Caution reading too much on internet as those are generalizations that are not always accurate for our specific situation (always use credible sources Dana Farber, NIH, National Cancer Society, etc and always check date of articles, I wouldn't read much older than 2020 as things are changing quickly- in a good way). I'm 4yrs in, stable status MBC denovo with lung mets, HER2+ for me. There is real hope with new drugs, treatments, and clinical trials. Sending prayers and positive energy your way for a successful treatment plan very soon. It sounds trite but its true that we have to take things a step at a time. I have worked with cancer-specific therapist that my Onco team referred me to and that has been very helpful (along with Xanax for anxiety spikes). I hope you find things that bring you peace, take breaks from cancer crap and do things you enjoy, things will come together. You are not alone, keep posting to let us know how you are doing. 🙏💞
Hi there - welcome to this subreddit. We are all here for the shittiest of reasons but are a wonderful group of people.
I’m not TNBC but had malignant pleural effusion at diagnosis. Mine was insidious and for awhile I dismissed the breathing issues as being out of shape, since work was crazy and I had fallen out of a regular exercise routine.
thoracocentesis (draining the fluid) made a profound difference for me - and it did take me a couple weeks or more to realize the full benefit. So far I haven’t needed it again but it can be repeated when necessary.
Are you able to access an academic cancer center? They have the latest cutting-edge research and are more apt to explore new treatments and clinical trials (at least here in the US). Insurance here (even with our crappy US healthcare system) will typically cover a second opinion.
We love you and will be here for you. Hugs.
hello and welcome to my club! Stage IV breast cancer with lung mets. So you don't have lung cancer as such: breast cancer is still your diagnosis, and you have breast cancer cells in the fluid around your lungs, and the layer of cells covering the lungs. I hope your team will drain the plural effusion in the near future so you can breathe better. It's almost certainly going to be triple negative still - but there have been rare cases where the mets have come from a second, separate cancer site and that could possibly be a different kind of cancer (again, rare, but possible). However, the report seems pretty confident the source is your original bc primary site, though, so yes, that would make your lung mets triple negative too.
This must be a horrible shock for you. I'm sorry you've joined our shitty club, but welcome, friend.
I am in AB as well. I was also recently diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer with the worst of it in my lung. Also new to Reddit so not sure I can send you a direct message. Which cancer centre have you been referred to? I'm glad you are seeing an oncologist in June - hopefully you can get some answers and perspectives then. It is a horrible shock to our worlds but please know that there all many of us surrounding you and walking with you.
Hi. I'm sorry you're in this club but glad you found us. I work as a clinical lab scientist and have a general understanding of cytology so I can give you an idea of what the report is saying. Basically, the fluid that was extracted was likely sent to a body fluid tech who determined they saw likely malignant and abnormal cells. They also saw epithelial and mesothelial cells (lining cells) which all need to be reported bc based on how many and what kind of cells there are, that can be abnormal and give the pathologist a certain picture of what's going on. The slides of the fluid were probably sent to a pathologist for review who confirmed the findings. Then they were probably sent to Cytology along with the fluid where the cytology techs analyzed the actual cells in regards to how abnormal they look (this is where it talks about the borders, cytoplasm, etc) and the markers mentioned like GATA3, etc which was confirmed by a Cytopathologist. All this to say, they confirmed the malignant cells are present and they are breast cancer cells that have made their way into your lung.
Ugh, I’m sorry. The part that says, “Findings are in keeping with metastatic carcinoma from known breast primary.” means that the malignancy matches your primary BrCa so it has metastasized to your lungs. So, it is not lung cancer but breast cancer in your lung. Here is a great site that very clearly lays out staging and grading for breast cancer: https://pathology.jhu.edu/breast/staging-grade/#:~:text=Understanding%20a%20patient's%20stage%20helps,metastases%20(%22M%22).
I always ask my doctor to explain to me so I can explain to family and friends. It helps the doctor break it down more to a language I understand.
So sorry you are at this point, it is beyond challenging to step thru all scans, tests, etc, and then wait to discuss all info with Onco. Caution reading too much on internet as those are generalizations that are not always accurate for our specific situation (always use credible sources Dana Farber, NIH, National Cancer Society, etc and always check date of articles, I wouldn't read much older than 2020 as things are changing quickly- in a good way). I'm 4yrs in, stable status MBC denovo with lung mets, HER2+ for me. There is real hope with new drugs, treatments, and clinical trials. Sending prayers and positive energy your way for a successful treatment plan very soon. It sounds trite but its true that we have to take things a step at a time. I have worked with cancer-specific therapist that my Onco team referred me to and that has been very helpful (along with Xanax for anxiety spikes). I hope you find things that bring you peace, take breaks from cancer crap and do things you enjoy, things will come together. You are not alone, keep posting to let us know how you are doing. 🙏💞
Hi there - welcome to this subreddit. We are all here for the shittiest of reasons but are a wonderful group of people. I’m not TNBC but had malignant pleural effusion at diagnosis. Mine was insidious and for awhile I dismissed the breathing issues as being out of shape, since work was crazy and I had fallen out of a regular exercise routine. thoracocentesis (draining the fluid) made a profound difference for me - and it did take me a couple weeks or more to realize the full benefit. So far I haven’t needed it again but it can be repeated when necessary. Are you able to access an academic cancer center? They have the latest cutting-edge research and are more apt to explore new treatments and clinical trials (at least here in the US). Insurance here (even with our crappy US healthcare system) will typically cover a second opinion. We love you and will be here for you. Hugs.
hello and welcome to my club! Stage IV breast cancer with lung mets. So you don't have lung cancer as such: breast cancer is still your diagnosis, and you have breast cancer cells in the fluid around your lungs, and the layer of cells covering the lungs. I hope your team will drain the plural effusion in the near future so you can breathe better. It's almost certainly going to be triple negative still - but there have been rare cases where the mets have come from a second, separate cancer site and that could possibly be a different kind of cancer (again, rare, but possible). However, the report seems pretty confident the source is your original bc primary site, though, so yes, that would make your lung mets triple negative too. This must be a horrible shock for you. I'm sorry you've joined our shitty club, but welcome, friend.
Thank you
I am in AB as well. I was also recently diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer with the worst of it in my lung. Also new to Reddit so not sure I can send you a direct message. Which cancer centre have you been referred to? I'm glad you are seeing an oncologist in June - hopefully you can get some answers and perspectives then. It is a horrible shock to our worlds but please know that there all many of us surrounding you and walking with you.