TNM staging not accurate?

[emily]

Hi gqmom,

I don't post often but just wanted to reply to your post. The TNM staging system tells you about the size of your tumor (T), the number of nodes positive (N) and whether there are distant mets (M). It's not really telling you anything about the biology or histology of your tumor. The grade which is based on various scales, but usually the Bloom-Richardson scale will tell you this. When doctors tell you about the likelihood of recurrence they are usually basing this on statistics that apply to large groups of women with similar stats to you. Because Herceptin is a relatively 'new' treatment it may not be factored into some of these recurrence stats that are around e.g cancermath.
It's perfectly reasonable that you would ask these questions of your doctor. Many of us have done so, probably the majority. Each one of us live with our own set of questions about our individual circumstances. There's no absolute answer of course but the more information we gather the stronger we become. Best wishes to you.
Emily