Is chemotherapy necessary in invasive ductal breast cancer where the tumor is over 2 cm?

SJ,

As I'm sure you've found, there's a ton of information on the web about breast cancer in general and invasive breast cancer in specific. Let's see if I can be of any help to you.

You have the most common kind of breast cancer; about 80% of all breast cancer patients have this type. Here's some information from breastcancer.org:

"Invasive means that the cancer has “invaded” or spread to the surrounding breast tissues. Ductal means that the cancer began in the milk ducts, which are the “pipes” that carry milk from the milk-producing lobules to the nipple. Carcinoma refers to any cancer that begins in the skin or other tissues that cover internal organs — such as breast tissue. All together, “invasive ductal carcinoma” refers to cancer that has broken through the wall of the milk duct and begun to invade the tissues of the breast. Over time, invasive ductal carcinoma can spread to the lymph nodes and possibly to other areas of the body."

There is a diagram on that page that might be helpful:

http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/idc/

Did your doctor give your cancer a certain Stage Number? Staging has to do not only with the size of the tumor but also with where it's located and what kind of tissue it has invaded. From the Mayo Clinic's page, it appears that your tumor would be Stage 2, though barely:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-cancer-staging/BR00022/NSECTIONGROUP=2

Do you know yet if the cancer has spread to any lymph nodes?

Do you have surgery planned?

Is your doctor recommending chemo?

Chemo is a tricky question for the stage you are in. If you were in Stage I, which is Early Stage Breast Cancer and is characterized by a tumor less than 2 cm big, the question would be a little easier. Here is what womenshealth.gov has to say about whether chemotherapy is necessary:

"Chemotherapy is not recommended for most women with early stage breast cancer. If chemotherapy is recommended, it can improve survival and decrease the risk of breast cancer recurrence. There are several different kinds of chemotherapy, and it is sometimes used in combination with tamoxifen. Chemotherapy is usually given after surgery, but there are exceptions. For example, a woman with Stage III breast cancer may undergo chemotherapy before surgery to shrink a tumor so that she can undergo breast-conserving surgery."

There is a ton of great information on that page:

http://www.womenshealth.gov/FAQ/early-stage-breast-cancer.cfm

And here is the Mayo Clinic's page on treatments and therapies. It also discusses when chemo is used, and how you and your doctor make the decision:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-cancer/DS00328/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

Can you tell us what your doctors are recommending? And again, do you feel you are in the hands of the right doctor now?

Hi, SJ, and welcome to EmpowHer. I'm so glad you found us.

You've had a tough time recently, haven't you? I'm so sorry about your diagnosis, and especially about your misdiagnosis.

Tell me, SJ, how did the misdiagnosis occur? Are you still with the same doctor or have you since switched? Do you have a breast specialist or an oncologist?

In the meantime, I'll do some research for you and get back with you soon.