- 1). Know that breast cancer test results are provided in two separate, but equally important ways-the initial diagnosis and the staging report. The initial diagnosis determines whether the suspect cells are cancerous, while the staging report will determine how far the cancer has spread throughout your body. When examining the report from the initial diagnosis, a "negative" report means that the cells tested were benign (non-cancerous). A "positive" on the initial diagnosis means that cancer was found, and that further testing will need to be done to determine its stage.
- 2). The staging report will contain a variety of information, including the area of the body from which the specimen was removed, your personal history thusfar and the tests that have been performed, the expected diagnosis before testing, the physical description of the samples (including a description of the samples under magnification), the results from any special tests ordered by the physicians (such as bloodwork), and the final diagnosis-the result of testing.
- 3). Read the staging report to determine the extent of the original tumor from the final diagnosis. According to the American Cancer Society, the primary tumor information on the report will be signified with a capital "T," followed by the letter "X" or a number from zero to five. TX means that the physicians were unable to determine the extent of the breast tumor. T0 means that they were unable to locate a primary tumor. T1 through T4 means that there is a primary tumor ranging in size from less than 2cm (T1) to more than 5cm across (T3) to a tumor which has grown into the skin or chest wall (T4).
- 4). Determine the condition of nearby lymph nodes. This is signified on the report with a capital "N," followed by the letter "X" or a number from zero to three. NX means that the physicians were unable to determine the condition of the lymph nodes. N0 means that cancer is not present in the lymph nodes. N1 through N3 means that cancer is present in a number of lymph nodes ranging from one to three (N1) to 10 or more (N3).
- 5). Ascertain whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body (metastasized). This is signified with a capital "M," followed by the letter "X" or a zero or one. MX means that the physicians were unable to determine whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. M0 means that cancer is confined to the primary site. M1 means that cancer has spread to distant organs like the liver, brain, or lungs.
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