Genetic testing does not show if you have any cancer in your body. Genetic testing is done to see if you have any defective genes that can cause cancer, such as the BRCA and CHEK2 genes.

Typically a PET scan will be used, or sometimes an MRI, if there is reason to believe your cancer has spread elsewhere in your body.

With lumpectomies it is the standard of care to recommend radiation treatment to the patient. This is because cancer cells can be left behind when the cancerous area(s) are removed in surgery or there could be stray cancer cells elsewhere in your breast that don't show on a mammogram or any sort of scan because they are too small.

For women with hormone positive (HR+) cancer it is recommended that they take Tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor (AI) for 5-10 years after their lumpectomy. This is referred to as hormone treatment. This is because estrogen acts as a food source for HR+ cancers. Taking the Tamoxifen or AI stops estrogen production and starves the cancer of it's food source so it hopefully can't grow or spread.

After your lumpectomy the tissue removed was biopsied and tested for various cancer related characteristics. The combination of these tests and their results allow your oncologist to determine how likely it is that your cancer will return over the next 5 years.

Before you make up your mind on additional preventive treatments talk to your oncologist. You should ask them what your overall recurrence and survival odds are both with and without radiation and hormone treatments. This is important so you can make an informed and educated decision based on your cancer risk and personal preference.

I'm telling you all of this as a precautionary tale because I've had cancer return from cells that were left behind and because I wasn't given hormone treatment when I should have been. I was low risk for cancer recurrence, but I am now a 6 time cancer patient with aggressive stage 3C breast cancer and stage 4 endometrial cancer ❤️

I had lumpectomies on each breast for ductal carcinoma, ER+,PR+, Hers-, stage 1, grade 1. And then had a MammaPrint and one other test on the tumors which showed I had about 99% of no reoccurrence in 5 years with just hormone therapy. No chemo, no radiation but I could choose to have both if I wanted. I chose not to have them. It, also, showed about 89% of no reoccurrence in 10 years. I was 85 at the time, so I saw no reason to have the extra treatment after a discussion with my oncologist and she agreed with no chemo and/or radiation.