Is 5-6 weeks the normal wait for wide local excision of grade 3, triple positive breast cancer and sentinel node biopsy?

I am new to all this, very interested to read other people’s experiences and grateful for any advice. After two appointments for biopsies I received my first diagnosis this week, of small, Grade 3, triple positive beast cancer and grouped microcalcifications, and was told that there is a 5 - 6 week wait for surgery, with radiotherapy and other treatments to follow. I was originally referred by my GP  on 13 February so if wide local excision and sentinel node biopsy is not booked until near the end of April I am worried that there will be significant chance of spread in the next 5 weeks, given that it is Grade 3. The senior surgeon I saw, and my Macmillan nurse, both told me not to worry but is 5-6 weeks the usual length of wait from diagnosis to treatment for this type of cancer?

  • Hi Helova, sorry to read about your diagnosis. I had a wide local excision last year for what turned out to be a grade 3 30mm lump. I waited 5 weeks between diagnosis and surgery and I believe this is within recommendations. The surgeon who treated me had no concerns about this length of wait and no cancer was found in my lymph nodes. Best of luck with your treatment.

  • Hi there. Sorry to hear your diagnosis. I was diagnosed on December 18th and had surgery at the end of January. So about 5 weeks. I then waited 6weeks for the results and needed further surgery which was 3 weeks later. I'm now on the 6 week wait for the results of the 2nd surgery. Unfortunately, there is a lot of waiting with cancer. Try and keep busy, stay at work if you work. It won't spread in this waiting time. Grade 3 grows faster but it's not rampant. Good luck. The surgery is okay by the way. X