Understand Your Diagnosis
Pathology, staging, biomarkers, and terminology.
DCIS and IDC: what the terms mean
DCIS and IDC describe whether abnormal cells have stayed within the milk ducts or spread into surrounding breast tissue.
4 min readUnderstanding cancer stage
Stage describes how far breast cancer has spread — from contained in the breast to spread to distant parts of the body.
5 min readUnderstanding lymph node involvement
Whether cancer cells are found in nearby lymph nodes helps determine stage and can inform treatment recommendations.
4 min readUnderstanding tumor grade
Tumor grade describes how different cancer cells look from normal cells, which can suggest how quickly they may grow.
4 min readUnderstanding your breast cancer diagnosis
A breast cancer diagnosis is usually described through several pieces together — type, stage, grade, and biomarkers — not a single label.
5 min readWhat does ER-positive mean?
ER and PR status describe whether a breast cancer's growth may be fueled by hormones, and often guide whether hormone therapy is recommended.
4 min readWhat does HER2-positive mean?
HER2 status describes how much of a growth-related protein a breast cancer has, and can open up targeted therapy options.
5 min readILC explained
ILC is a less common type of breast cancer that starts in the milk-producing lobules rather than the ducts.
4 min readTriple-negative breast cancer explained
Triple-negative breast cancer lacks the three most common biomarkers, which changes which treatments are typically considered.
4 min readWhat does Ki-67 mean?
Ki-67 measures what percentage of cancer cells are actively dividing, which can suggest how quickly a tumor may be growing.
3 min read