breast cancer q - mama

[ArchivalUser]

Most breast cancer diagnosed before metastases with simple mamo and biopsy... but they are malignant..

[ArchivalUser]

actually the no. of mitoses determines malignancy
quoting kaplan: " high mitotic activity with abnormal mitotic figures".

now in BRS path. this is wut i found " metastasis is the most important defining ccc. of malignancy". now wut does that mean now im so confused i think i no longer k now wut malignancy is in the first place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
im seriously starting to question the question !!????????......lol.

[ArchivalUser]

Malignancy: A tumor that is malignant, that is cancerous, that can invade and destroy nearby tissue, and that may or may not spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body

[ArchivalUser]

To Superdoodz,
Sorry, I had to step out 4 a while. Since we don't really know what the q is asking of, lets just know as much as we can about breast CA. Breast metastasis can be nodal or extra nodal, lymphatic spread occurs first to the nodes b4 hematogenous spread. Extra nodal metastasis has greater significance than nodal metastasis according to Goljan. Metastasis is the most defining xteristic of malignancy because it is what clearly distinguishes malignant tumors from benign tumors.

[ArchivalUser]

I am sorry if I can not read the q, but this question is not asking about metastasis, it is asking about MALIGNANCY.... lets do very simple, Breast cancer is diagnosed before metastasis, is it Malignant or not??

[ArchivalUser]

i am sorry guys, i realized..they simply ask about how do we know if it's malignant...I posted notes about prognosis of breast ca...

i wish we knew if they ask about physical findings or histology...PHYSICAL FINDINGS that strongly suggest breast cancer are: PAINLESS AXILLARY MASS, nipple retraction, boody nipple discharge after 50 years of age, skin dimpling on movement of the arms, localized vascular engorgement, presence of peau d'orange.

[ArchivalUser]

the problem i see with the q is how can we say it's breast CANCER if we're still trying to figure out wether it's malignant or not???!!!!
iren u simplified things so much, that is exactly wut im trying to figure out and thats wuts causing the confusion WE DONT KNOW WUT THEY'RS ASKING; ARE THEY ASKING HISTOLOGICALLY OR CLINICALLY AND IF BOTH ARE IN THE CHOICES GIVEN WHICH ONE DO WE CHOSE OVER THE OTHER I.E WHICH IS A MORE IMPORTANT DETERMINANT???
i wish it was clearer!
thnx u guys.

[ArchivalUser]

b----attachment of skin to the ligament, that is whats creats the physical appearance of dimple and nipple retraction(inverted nipple). classis for breast malignacy

[ArchivalUser]

this is how i see it....

breast cancer can be considered malignant if they have....(choices b, c, d)

what if they dont have it?

a. no. of mitosis- if they have high mitotic activity etc...... they are malignant.... if they have low mitotic activity.....they are benign
b. skin to lig. attachment- if u dont have this, you cant say that its benign/malignant
c. lymphatic spread--- if u dont have this, cant also say if its benign/maligant
d. lymph node involvement---- if u dont have this, cant say if its benign/ malignant

(choices b,c,d) have high sensitivity
but AAA is the most specific........

[ArchivalUser]

whats the difference between lymphatic spread nd lymph node involvement.ts bit confusin