Biopsy done; BRAC 5, info please

[laurieRNBSN]

Hi, good and strong women. Had my biopsy Monday, radiologist said it was very likely breast cancer, sent 7 tissue samples to pathology. Asked her what was my Brac #--she said BRAC 5. Please someone explain what BRAC is and what the 5 means. I know it is the highest number, and the increased number is more strongly associated with cancer. Can anybody add more info? I should get pathology report tomorrow or Thursday. I said if is is BC, would the surgery be done quickly? Radiolog. said no. First you need total bone scan and all organ scans and heart work-up. Is this usual, to check for metastasis at the beginning of the diagnostic phase? Are there other tests they do, not included in the ones I stated? I have a lot of medical problems already, including depression since age 19; I am 60 now. Any suggestions on how to improve positive thoughts/environment? I believe in a strong body-mind connection.Any other thoughts you would like to add woould be appreciated. This is all very new to me. Thanks so much for your love, concern and caring and people who responded the first time.

[bluebutterfly2222]

Hi again,

As lana99 indicated, what your surgeon must have told you was your BI-RADS score.
(BRCA is another term related to BC, but it refers to genes that can be tested for, to see if there is a familial risk.)

And yes, IF the pathology report determines you have cancer, it is the usual practice to do a full evaluation (the tests you mentioned and possibly PET and MRI and  others) as part of the diagnostic work-up to detemine your TNM Stage and the best treatment plan based on your specific situation, including your medical hx and current health status.

The delay to surgery isn't enough to make any significant difference. (In some cases, if the tumor is very large, chemo is even done before surgery, to make it more operable or if breast conserving surgery is desired.)

As far as your mental/emotional outlook, upon dx with cancer, it is completely normal to feel panicky, overwhelmed, depressed, and even to have fleeting suicidal thoughts, such as, "Maybe it would be easier to just die than to have to go through all of this.." (If such thoughts are more than fleeting, or accompanied by plan or intent, though, be sure to immediately contact a mental health professional!)

In my experience, however, pts with a history of depression often do quite well handling  medical crises. Sometimes it even confirms for them how much they DO want to live after all, and how determined they are, therefore, to fight for their lives...

This community is here to support you as much as we can. Please add any additional related posts to this same thread, though, so we will have all of your information available in one place, to assist us in providing better answers.

Best wishes...

[lana99]

Sorry - 1st paragraph I just cut and pasted from one of my answers. Please disregard :)

[lana99]

The lesion in your left breast was rated as a BI-RADS 4 based on the ultrasound, but was upgraded to a BI-RADS 5 after the MRI. The lesion in the right breast was rated as a BI-RADS 4.

This is a brief description of BI-RADS 4 and 5:

Hi laurie,
I got BIRADS 4 in my right breast and BIRADS 5 in my left breast in Breast MRI report.
BIRADS stands for Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System.
Here is a description of BIRADS scores:
Category 4 -- Possibly Malignant
There are some suspicious lesions, masses, or calcifications to report; a biopsy is recommended to check the suspicious area.

Category 5 -- Malignant
There are masses with an appearance of cancer. A biopsy is recommended to make an accurate diagnosis.

The final answer for each lesion can only be known for certain after the pathology reports come back.

Just wanted to let you know that both of biopsies came back benign (NO CANCER). So, there is always hope even with BIRADS 5.

Wishing you B9 pathology report!