lumpectomy

Hi everyone,

   I had a lumpectomy about a week ago...I had a spindle cell tumor that was about 2.5 cm  I'm going this Friday to find out if it is Benign or not.  ( notice I'm not even going to say the "m" word it doesn't scare me!)  I was just wondering if anyone out there has had a spindle cell tumor and did you have it removed?  What happened next???  I've done a search on spindle cell tumors but I feel like I need to go to med school to understand exactly what they are saying.  I think most of them come back benign...Is this correct?

Thanks! :)

[PaulMD]

Hi there.

Spindle cell tumors are tumors that arise from the connective tissues of the breast, in constrast with the usual breast tumors that come from breast ducts or lobules.  A lot of spindle cell tumors would indeed turn out to be benign, and the defnitive treatment for this is to have it completely excised with adequate surrounding margins (around 1-2cm).  However, some of these would be of high grade type which has a tendency to spread or recur, and it is important to make this distinction.  Some high grade spindle cell tumors may need additional treatment such as that of radiation therapy.

I hope that you get the results soon, and I'm sure everything would turn out fine.  Regards.

[loomislady40]

Hi Dr. Paul,

   Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me.  What is meant by "high grade tumor?"   Is this a stage IV tumor??   Again, I really appreciate your time...I wonder why spindle cell tumors develop in these areas?    I guess that is the million dollar question.

Again, thanks so much!