Last February I was diagnosed with invasive ductile carcinoma in my left breast. I am 63 years old. The biopsy and the ultrasound revealed my tumor was 1 cm in length and my cancer grade was 2 out of a possible 3. Good news! We were looking to do a lumpectomy. My doctor scheduled a breast image, which revealed tumor to be 1.8 cm and had almost doubled in size. Next a radiologist found precancerous cells in my left breast. I was devastated but made a decision to do a nipple sparing mastectomy. My cancer is not genetic. I was told after my mastectomy no cancer in my lymph nodes, no cancer in my margins. This was great news as I didn’t need radiation nor Chemo. My oncologist then ordered Oncotype DX test to review my tumor. The test came back and my tumor was upgraded from a 2 to a 3. This very aggressive tumor, now requires me to do Chemo. I am stage 1 breast cancer and I am doing chemo.

The reason I am posting this, is that both tests Breast Imaging and Oncotype DX are not always covered by certain insurance policies. These are expensive tests and insurance companies may not cover them. I feel the Oncotype DX test may have saved my life. Most important, please follow your oncologist direction.