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Breast Cancer (Expert Forum)
What happens when a tumor shrinks?
Questions posted in the Breast Cancer Forum are answered by medical professionals from The Cleveland Clinic. Topics include Breast Biopsy, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, Lumps, Lumpectomy, Lymph node dissection, Lymphedema, Mammograms, Mastectomy, Radiation Therapy, Reconstruction, Self Breast Exam, and Surgery.
What happens when a tumor shrinks?
by A husband, Oct 17, 2002 12:00AM
My wife was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in July. Her tumor was 4.5 cm and several lymph nodes were involved. She has just finished her third cycle of neoadjuvant chemo in an NCI trial testing docetaxel and capecitabine. The treatment has reduced the size of the tumor so much that the doctors cannot feel it anymore. Obviously, that is encouraging, but does it mean the cancer is gone? What are they going to find during surgery? They said they will take samples from where the tumor was and test them, removing more until they get a clear margin. I just can't understand what's there if the tumor isn't?
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-RN,MSN-rf, Oct 17, 2002 12:00AM
Dear A husband: Most of us assume that cancers are masses that are distinctly different from our regular tissue. In fact, cancer cells are normal cells that have mutated until they have become malignant (losing the ability to regulate their own growth). Although large tumors may be visible to the naked eye. Small tumors may be mixed in with normal cells and be recognizable only under the microscope. If the tumor has shrunk, the breast tissue would be there as it was before the tumor grew but it may not be free of malignant cells.
