Ma felt a lump in her left breast a few days before Easter. (Easter was March 21st this year). She immediately had a mammogram, but the lump was hard to see because she has dense breasts. It was clearer in the ultrasound that followed. A biopsy showed that it was cancer. The surgeon ordered an MRI which showed more suspicious areas in the same breast. Another biopsy was done on one of the areas, but it turned out to be negative. So the surgeon recommended a lumpectomy and an axilla dissection. That was done on April 29. The results:
2.2 cm tumor
Invasive ductal carcinoma
Poorly differentiated
Grade 3
Triple negative (ER-, PR-, HER2-)
16 out of 16 lymph nodes positive for cancer
That means it's aggressive and advanced. In addition, Ma had a pleural effusion in her right lung. That was drained on
May 2nd. Tests results showed it was negative for cancer. But see the previous post. At the moment she's considered stage IIIB. Further tests will determine if she's stage IV.
Update 05/23/08: Ma is officially stage IIIB.
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