Just Diagnosed With Breast Cancer

After you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your healthcare team will figure out the stage of the tumor. Breast cancer staging is used to describe:

• The size of the tumor
• If the cancer has spread to a nearby part of the breast
• How many lymph nodes are involved
• Whether the cancer has spread to another part of the body

The stage of your breast cancer is used to help choose the treatment option that is right for you.

To the right are examples of organizations and resources you may find helpful. Click on the links to visit those websites and learn more.

When a piece of tissue is taken from the body (a biopsy), it is examined by a type of doctor called a pathologist. He or she then writes a report about the findings. This is called a pathology report. It will tell your healthcare team the stage of the tumor. Be sure to ask your healthcare team to give you a copy of the report and review it with you. And ask any questions you have about the results.

To the right are examples of organizations and resources you may find helpful. Click on the links to visit those websites and learn more.

Knowing whether your breast cancer is HER2 positive (HER2+) is important. HER2+ breast cancer can grow and spread more quickly than other types of breast cancer. But there are specific treatments that can slow the growth of HER2+ tumors. Talk with your healthcare provider about your HER2 status and which treatments may work best for you.