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Benign phyllodes tumor
I was recently diagnosed with a benign phyllodes tumor in which I had a fibroepithelial lesion along with surrounding margin removed. This lesion had an increase in stromal cells & Giant stromal cells. What is this characteristic of? Also, my lesion was not a large tumor. Do phyllodes tumors metastesize only when they are large?? And I had another nodule very close to the one they removed that they are calling a fibroadenoma....why didnt they remove this nodule too, just to be sure? Is to remove all nodules considered to be fibroadenomas since they are sometimes misdiagnosed with phyllodes?? Or is a core biopsy enough to tell you if its worrisome or not? Thank you so so much!!
Kabe827
Kabe827
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Thank you! Oh! Im so glad ..its kinda funny how when communicating like this, a whole situation can be misunderstood when u cant hear the persons tone or see their face...but Im so glad that I didnt offend you!! Afterall we have all come together here to help one another and so many of us are not well and trying to learn as much as they can to better their health and to help others but Im so glad u responded to me. Thank you and I def probably DO need to take everything with a grain of salt as I have been studying as though I am in medical school lol :) and it is stressing me out..not to mention confusing me. You really gave me alot of insight. Thank you and Good Health to you!
Hi again,
I was very happy to see that your phyllodes was benign!
Thanks for you kind comments,
bluebutterfly
I was very happy to see that your phyllodes was benign!
Thanks for you kind comments,
bluebutterfly
I really cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read & send this to me! THATS exactly what I was looking for!! The very simple, black & white facts! It is so kind of you to try to help other people. I pray for your good health & thank you again Same Best wishes to you....:)
:) ... No, you didn't offend me .... I just thought you had found all your answers. I agree with the statement that there is so much information out there; I usually recommend that one doesn't research too much since so much of the info is general and rarely applies to any one specific situation. I most always advise that the best source is your own Physician since they are the only ones who have every detail of YOUR particualr situation. Benign PHyllodes return most often when there are more than one present initially but a single tumor can certainly return also. I know of no reason why a diagnosis can't be made by biopsy but removal of course can give more information and removal is always the preferred method of treatment. I tend to disagree with the "always cancer" .... Benign is Benign but wide excision is the way to go. I think we can probably believe most of what we read but we can't always apply that to ourselves .... the same is true when comparing your situation with somwone else's even though on the surface they seem to be identical. Everyone's experience is different just as we all are different. Take care now and take everything with that infamous "grain of salt" ......
Well, actually it was all meant to be questioning....maybe I should have added ..Am I correct? at the end of it all....sorry if I offended you in any way..I was simply stating what I read ..we cant always believe what we read & lots of sites say diff things so I was curious & hoping someone would respond with...ur right about this...bu not thistype of response. Best to you & thank you for taking time to answer my ques Its appreciated...
You seem to be answering your own questions .... or informing me about Phyllodes which isn't really necessary but thanks anyway. Regards ....
PS A phyllodes cannot really be detrmined without a surgical biopsy..(taking it out) therefore if a phyllodes is suspected at core biopsy, ALL phyllodes need to be removed to determined how far of a margin it has spread...Thx!
thank u for ur response....I read that benign phyllodes tumors CAN return..I also read that they are considered a type of cancer because they have malignant potential, meaning it could become malignant a some point if I left it there...(not the fibroadenoma, the phyllodes....the way they rate a phyllodes is diff than reg cancer...even if a phyllodes is benign, it is cancer..it is just rated on the margins and how much has spread..do u know anything about this? I hope Im making sense to you :) Thanks again
There would be no particular to remove such a small Fibroadenoma as they are usually just left alone unless they become very large and cause considerable discomfort. A benign Phyllodes may recur but only the malignant type could metastisize. A biopsy of any type is the method of diagnosis so it is usually the only test needed to know if something is "worrisome" or not. Regards ....
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"Clinical Staging, Treatments, and Prognosis
Staging
Phyllodes tumors are not staged in the usual sense; they are classified on the basis of their appearance under the microscope as benign, borderline (or indeterminate), or malignant. The pathologist makes the decision on the basis of the cells' rate of division (mitosis) and the number of irregularly shaped cells in the biopsy sample. In one series of 101 patients with phyllodes tumors, 58 percent were identified as benign, 12 percent as borderline, and 30 percent as malignant.
Treatments
Surgical excision (removal) is the usual treatment for phyllodes tumors, whether benign or malignant. In the case of benign tumors, the surgeon will usually try to spare as much breast tissue as possible, generally removing about 1 inch (2 cm) of normal breast tissue from the area around the tumor as well as the tumor itself. If the tumor is very large, however, the doctor may remove the entire breast.
In the case of malignant tumors, the surgeon will remove a wider area of normal tissue along with the tumor—a technique known as wide local excision (WLE)—or perform a complete mastectomy.
Although radiation therapy has been tried as follow-up treatment after surgery, phyllodes tumors do not respond well to either radiotherapy or chemotherapy if they recur or metastasize. In addition, malignant phyllodes tumors do not respond to hormone therapy.
Prognosis
The prognosis for benign phyllodes tumors is good following surgical removal, although there is a 20–35 percent chance of recurrence, particularly in patients over the age of 45. Recurrence is usually treated with further surgery, either another local excision or a complete mastectomy.
The prognosis for patients diagnosed with borderline or malignant phyllodes tumors is more guarded. About 4 percent of borderline tumors will eventually metastasize. A Mayo Clinic study of 50 patients with malignant tumors found that 32 percent had a recurrence within two years after surgery; 26 percent developed metastases, and 32 percent of the group died from their malignancy. The most common sites for metastases from malignant phyllodes tumors are the lungs, bones, liver, and chest wall, although metastases to the lymph nodes have also been reported. Most patients with metastases from a malignant phyllodes tumor die within three years of their first treatment."
Best wishes...