confused by surgeon feedback/please advise

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

My mom, Esma (60), was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ in the left

breast 3

weeks ago today. In the meantime, an area in the right breast was also biopsied

and

revealed atypical tissue but no cancer. An MRI revealed no further cause for

concern.

During our initial meeting with the surgeon, things sounded very encouraging.

He quoted

high survival rates, praised early detection, and stated that she should be able

to " get back

to normal " after surgery and radiation--with frequent monitoring, of course.

Today's surgery went well. Both the carcinoma on the left side and atypical

tissue on the

right were removed. However, my dad and I were sort of stunned during our

post-surgical

chat with the surgeon, when he presented us with what sounded (to, perhaps, our

exhauated minds!) like a bleaker picture than the original version. He said

that we would

now wait for the pathology report to see how to proceed. We expected that, but

were

confused when he said something to the effect, " and if the tissue on the right

side is

cancer, then she will need more surgery " --didn't the biopsy rule that out?? We

understand

that the tissue was atypical, but the biopsy report clearly stated no cancer.

So, what could

this be about? He also mentioned that " this is something she's clearly prone

to " and

repeated that several times... Tamoxifen was mentioned as a possible follow-up

measure. Finally, when I said, " but there's also a likelihood that this is

just what we

originally thought--stage 0 DCIS on the left only--and that she can then just

have

radiation and no more surgery, and plan on vigillant follow-ups? " he did agree

that

was the most likely outcome. Still, my dad and I were both left feeling

unsettled; this all

sounded worse than our initial consult.

So... I understand these are novice questions, but it's been a whirlwind of

activity, and

there's so much to process and absorb. We're hoping for some input

from folks who have been through this. Do pathology reports often revealed big

surprises

that biopsies missed? Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Thanks for being there; I have really appreciated your presence during these

crazy 3

weeks.

Belma