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Posted 12/21/2011 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
I have been waiting right at a month for my 2nd opinion biopsy pathology report. The slides were supposed to have been forwarded to Bostwick Labs by Labcorp on 11-22. For some reason, it was determined that LabCorp never received the original fax from the uro's office to send them. This was learned after many frustrating calls. LabCorp finally got the followup fax from the dr's office and the slides arrived at Bostwick on 12-19.

I must say Bostwick has been very responsive to my questions, and confirmed receiving it, and advised they would try to speed things up considering my wait time. I got an email from the tonight stating:

"".....let you know that the pathologist ordered additional stains on your slides so the case is still under review. "

Does this mean that this is a good thing ? I'm not sure how to interpret these results. Do they have to request the stains from LabCorp again ?

My treatment is largely dependant on the findings of this 2nd opinion biopsy results. Is it wrong to think maybe they are having difficulty duplicating the gleason 7 (3+4) from the original sample (2 of out 16 positive). I was hoping that the Gleason score would be downgraded, or perhaps even say its High Grade Pin ????

Any suggestions ?

Posted 12/22/2011 2:02 AM (GMT 0)
I think most of us have had bungled communications somewhere along the line in our PC journey. Some of it is just the nature of modern medicine. We have so many specialties doing different parts of the process. In the old, the MD did a lot of it in his own practice. It becomes encumbent on us to follow each step, and insure that what was supposed to done gets done.

The other part is our impatience. Fortunately, an extra week or two in the process doesn't really have an effect in the overall results. Sometimes we just have to take a deep breath, smile, and find something else to take our mind off it.

Good luck. I don't want to discourage you, but downgrades are rare on second opinions.
Posted 12/22/2011 2:26 AM (GMT 0)
I don't have my book at hand, but at a very high level, stains are used to help reveal detail in the cells. It may be that the Bostwick folks wanted more detail. They would do that, just that it is probably a different part of the lab that does the actual work.
Posted 12/22/2011 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
I used Bostwick for my biopsy and all my PSA tests. They are good and I suggest you let them do what they think is best. A little more time spent up front will help you make the best decision and time is on your side. And don't try to read anything in to their comment about the stain. Once you have the initial biopsy results then you can meet with several doctors in the various disciplines to make the best informaed decision about treatment.

As far as wishing for a downgrade, the condition is what it is. Don't expect a 3+4 to come back a PIN. That would be nice, but I think just wishful thinking. The reality is that when surgical pathology is compared to clinical pathology, far more are upgraded than downgraded.
Posted 12/22/2011 2:28 AM (GMT 0)
Suggestion is to take it easy and enjoy the season. Nothing you learn in the next few days changes anything for the holidays.
Posted 12/22/2011 4:48 AM (GMT 0)
I am not sure, there is a pathologist on this forum....... , Nah, all of the above said it best, Logo
Posted 12/22/2011 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi powellst, - Relax, you have no results to interpret, so don't try! All that you have is a courtesy notification that because some "stains" were ordered, the ability to give you meaningful results has been delayed. These are probably stains being done Bostwick.

This is not a good or bad sign, it is simply a fact. Stains can be ordered for a number of reasons but are usually done to further differentiate results to improve diagnostic accuracy and/or confidence in interpretation.

Let them complete their work and give you the results before trying to make judgments that are simply not possible with the present information that is available. Enjoy Christmas and/or your holiday season realizing that there is nothing you can presently do to alter what will be. Good luck and come back when you have more definitive information available and many will try to help. - [email protected] (aka) az4peaks.
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