Empower yourself as a patient: here are some questions Dr. DuPree recommends you ask your breast cancer surgeon; be your own advocate.

·         What type of breast cancer do I have?

Invasive ductal

Invasive Lobular

Colloid

Mucinous

Inflammatory

Ductal carcinoma Insitu ( yes, DCIS is cancer just “non-invasive Cancer” )

LCIS, Lobular carcinoma insitu is NOT  cancer but a marker for future risk

·         What is the grade of the tumor? (How aggressive it looks under a microscope?)

Grade I, II or III

·         What is my receptor status (Prognostic indicators)? (ER, PR, Her-2-neu, ki67%)

·         What is the “clinical” stage of the tumor?

Tumor size , Lymph Node status, Any evidence of systemic disease

·         Has the tumor spread outside of my breast?

Do I need additional imaging?

·         What are my treatment surgical options?

·         What is my risk of the cancer coming back with each treatment? (Recurrence)

·         What is my tumors genomic profile?

Mammaprint ,Endopredict  or Oncotype? Can you as the surgeon order this test to give me the most information about my tumor and treatment plan?

·         Am I a candidate for breast conserving surgery?

·         Am I a candidate for Nipple Sparing Mastectomy?

·         Am I a candidate for sentinel node biopsy?

·         What is my risk of swelling in my arm? (Lymphedema) What can you do at surgery to minimize the risk?

·         Do you monitor my arm for lymphedema with Sozo , bioimpedance, testing?

·         Do you perform Axillary Reverse Mapping if I need an axillary node dissection?

·         Do I need chemotherapy?

·         Can I benefit from  antiestrogen therapy or chemotherapy first ( neo-adjuvant chemotherapy) to shrink or downstage the tumor?

·         Am I a candidate for antiestrogen therapy and if so how long and what are the side effects?

·         Do I need radiation therapy?

·         Am I a candidate for the shortened course of radiation therapy ( APBI- Accelerated Partial breast irradiation) or intraoperative radiation therapy?

·         What can I do to decrease the risk of my cancer returning?

·         What lifestyle changes should I make to enhance my immune system and decrease the risk of recurrence?

·         Do I have the breast cancer gene and should I get genetic  counseling and `testing?

·         Am I a candidate for clinical trials?

·         Do you offer integrative therapies to your patients? ( Reiki, Massage, guided imagery etc)

·         Are you open to me working with integrative practitioners throughout my cancer journey?

·         What are “MY” personal Current Treatment Options for Breast Cancer?

·         Should I get a second opinion? ( f a doctor does not want you to seek a second opinion or is upset that you want a second opinion, that should be your CUE to GET A SECOND OPINION)