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Old 01-16-2008, 12:33 PM   #6
CPA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 93
Aside from the insurance issues, I really do not think anybody "dropped the ball".

Almost everybody has the pathology re-done after surgery to confirm the biopsy. Most likely, the lab determined your HER2 status by IHC from the biopsy specimen. I would guess that your oncologist will want the results confirmed by FISH. IHC is basically a test where special stains are used to stain the tumor cells... the pathologist looks at the cells under a microscope and ranks you from a 0-3 scale (or +++) based upon the cell appearance. FISH is a genetic test that returns a ratio relating to the number of HER2 genes present and is generally considered more accurate.

IHC is usually done first because it is quick and cheaper. FISH is more expensive and is only usually done to confirm a positive IHC.
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Husband to Jill
Diagnosed 10/05, age 39
R Mast 11/05
Stage II N0
Her2+ er/pr+
Revision Mast due to positive margins 12/05
TCH Chemo started 1/06
Finished TC 4/06
Tamoxifen
Finished H 12/29/06
Currently NED
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