Patsy’s surgery is finished. Her surgeon, Dr Douglas Horbelt, just spoke with me. He says that Patsy’s tumor is not cancer but neither is it definitely benign.
He called it a “tumor of low malignant potential” and described this as being in a gray area between benign and malignant. He did say it was entirely removed, along with the hysterectomy. They also took her appendix and some of her omentum.
As to the whether the fact of this tumor having been in her has any negative implications for her future, he said he could not answer until the pathology report on the tumor comes back on Thursday or Friday. He said it would be sectioned like a loaf of bread and studied.
I wish I had a more definite answer for all of us, but that’s all we know for now except that she is expected to be in recovery for about three hours and should be released Friday or Saturday.
A quick google reveals articles from The National Cancer Institute and The Library of Cancer as well as a smattering of other information. Despite the sources of the articles I cite, I should stress again that he said it was not cancer.
Clearly, we’ll have many questions later in the week when the pathology report comes back. I hope for a more black and white answer then.
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