Hello

lots of ladies have chemo first it’s quite normal 

good luck xx 

Hi,

Sorry to hear you've recently been diagnosed. I'm sure you're still processing everything and juggling pre-treatment appointments. 

I was HER2+ and hormone negative too, diagnosed at the same age, and was advised on chemo first. I was initially reluctant and confused as I wanted it removed immediately and hated the thought of it still there for five more months, however, HER 2 generally responds really well to the treatment, and as I could feel the lump shrinking each week, confirmed via scans too, reassured me it was working. By the time you have surgery you have been through the worst part, and your results after surgery can tell you how much of the tumour was destroyed. Depending on that outcome (either a complete pathological response- no cancer cells left, or partial response- some cancer cells still present) you will then be offered some targeted therapy for 9-12 more months, which is another HER2 targeted therapy to reduce reoccurrence, given usually every three weeks. 

I had regular heart (echo) scans as some of the targeted treatment can cause some weakness, so they're regularly used to ensure that things are running smoothly. 

Dr Liz O'Riordan is a great resource to follow on social media if you'd find it useful- one of her most recent videos has been on HER2 which you might find informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4dHP1RebPo 

There is also a Facebook group for women diagnosed under age 45. Please search 'younger breast cancer network' if you'd like some more support or to chat to others going and gone through treatment.

Wishing you all the best for your treatment. It goes by very quickly. 

Good morning

Thank you for your inquiry. I am sorry to hear you have been diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Chemotherapy is a common preoperative treatment for women with breast cancer. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is the term for it. Before surgery, it's frequently used to shrink the tumour prior to surgery. This means that some people may be able to have breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy), instead of a mastectomy. You may like to read our webpage that explains this further at this link. 

I hope you have a positive outcome from the treatment and have found this reply helpful.

Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Yours sincerely,

Tina