Request.

Joce shared with me today some people had asked if I would post some of Mom's history in what has led her to this point. This is a copy of an email she sent recently that has her story defined quite well.

"The doctors I am working with are some of the best in the country and I trust them completely. My cytology readings and Masood scores have shown Hyperplasia with Atypia for the last 10 years. The numbers continue to increase and nothing has had an any real effect on them. With my BRCA gene mutation and family history, I have reached a point where my risk doubles every year....for example if my risk is 15% this year... next year it will be 30% and so on.

That is based on additional cytology test results....EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) is 2+; p53 (a tumor suppressor gene) is 2+; HER2/neu is 2+; Estrogen Receptor is 1+.

I am scared about the lymph node removal, but by using radioactive dye, they will be able to tell which ones are fed directly from the breasts and will only remove them. If they would find any cancerous cells in the breast tissue and we had not done the radioactive dye, then they would have to take out all of the nodes and I do not want that if it can be helped."

There is also a website I found that list out the reasons surgeons would suggested such a radical approach as an option to a patient. On the list of reasons our Mom meets almost all of them and typically a Doctor only need one of these to make the case for this approach.

Preventive Mastectomy: Questions and Answers
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/preventive-mastectomy

Joce thought the Medical back round would be helpful to all of us as knowledge is really our only weapon in the battles against cancer. I know being on this journey with our mom these past 15 years has helped us both to become very active about our own breast health so we encourage you..... read up, check yourself often, and see your Doctor.

-Mama Huff