A little more info

More updates from Dr. C: The pathology report is in. The tumor is estrogen-receptor-positive and progesterone-receptor-positive, "which is favorable." From my quickie online research, I've learned that means that the cancer cells are fueled by those two hormones -- goodbye, forever, birth control and wish I'd never gotten started with you -- and thus can be treated with "antiestrogen" drugs that block absorption of the hormones.
The tumor size measured out at 2 cm. "There is a little bit of ductal carcinoma in situ around it, about 1 mm, pretty small, but it comes close to the superior margin." This may mean removing a little more breast tissue, she said.
Here's a part I found creepy: "The KI-67 index, which measures the amount of tumor cells actively dividing at the time of the surgery is 15%, which is low but not as perfectly low as we'd want it to be," she said. "We'd rather see it down around 5%."
I had pictured the tumor quietly sitting still, knitting or reading and maybe occasionally taking a little stroll like residents in a retirement home. The idea that it was "actively dividing" -- running around my breast rearranging the furniture and grabbing up all the good seats -- struck me as awfully presumptuous.
And I was shocked, shocked, that despite the advanced medical degree I earned in Google U last week, that she'd come up with a term I'd never heard of. Old G.U. let me down when I went to research KI-67 (and it's not even in the index of the cancer books I checked out of the library yesterday). Most articles about KI-67 were too teckie for me. I did find one that said a low score is 0 to 15%, medium is 16 to 30% and high is 31 to 100% - which puts me on the high end of low.
She'll send my cells out for the Oncotype DX test on Monday or as soon as my insurance approves it - and the results should be back in 10 days.