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A. When you have surgery (either lumpectomy, or mastectomy), one or more lymph nodes in your armpit–the first place cancerous cells from the breast would travel–will be removed, examined, and labeled positive (cancer cells), or negative (no cancer cells). Even one positive lymph node is a sign that the cancer is starting to advance, and the signal that your treatment will probably be more extensive.
Q. Will I need to take any long-term drugs, once I’ve finished the initial treatment?
A. You may take tamoxifen (Nolvadex), Herceptin, or an aromatase inhibitor (Arimidex, Femara), depending on whether or not your particular cancer is hormone-receptive; that’s something the pathologist will have determined, and you doctor will tell you. The majority of women with breast cancer do have hormone-receptive cancer, so yes, odds are you’ll be taking drugs for at least several years after you’re through with surgery and whatever other treatment your doctor deems necessary.
Good luck with all of this–remember, you’re not alone. Millions of women have gone through cancer treatment, particularly treatment for infiltrating/invasive ductal carcinoma, and come out on the other side to happily resume their lives. One of the good things about cancer is that you’ll probably make great new friends during treatment. You’ll walk down this path together, and be all the stronger for having done it.
