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Chemo treatment necessary

Kab4680
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Hi

i was originally diagnosed with dcis of the left breast on 26th February this year. I had a mastectomy, synovial lymph node removal and immediate diep reconstruction on 8th April. 

I received my results last week no spread through my lymph nodes and the cells had invaded and I had a 7mm and 3 mm area that tested positive for her2.

Following the results I had an oncology appointment today and the dr wants me to have 4 cycles of chemo and then 12 months injections.

The cancer has been removed, the increase in my survival rate is 86% up from 78% after just surgery if I have the treatment. To me it seems excessive to have the chemo as well as the surgery. Is this the normal process for this type of cancer?

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    If i'm recalling things correctly, HER2 means the cancer cells are more aggressive, and more likely to spread, but respond to treatment. Due to its aggressive nature, chemo is preferred as a systematic sweep up in case any rogue cell has escaped the local area. Just takes one to be missed, and this is where chemo comes in. About the injections, the drug you are given blocks signals telling the cells to grow. It's been 2 years since my wife has been out of treatment, and probably a further 6 months since i heard this from a doctor. So the details might be a little bit off.

    About your percentages, only you can decide if those odds are worth the treatment. Doctors can advise, but it's your body. If the cancer were to reoccurrence, just make sure you wouldn't be left with any regrets. Some people do go without and have no issues, some do. But there again, it can happen with or without further treatment. 'tis all luck, and about stacking the odds further in your favour.

  • Offline in reply to ProfBaw

    Very wise words ProfBaw.  I was diagnosed with breast cancer 5 years ago and I had an operation to remove the tumour and also, the surgeon removed a couple of lymph nodes. I  was strongly advised to have radiation therapy afterwards to kill off any stray cancer cells, but I felt so exhausted after the operation and trying to recover from it that I didn't feel able to go through radiotherapy.  This was a mistake, because 16 months later the cancer came back.  I am now terminal.  Of course I am very much aware that even if I had gone down the radiation route, the cancer might still have come back, but I guess I will never know.  Of course if I could go back, I would have made a different decision, but I try not to dwell on the 'what ifs' and 'maybes' .........after all, it doesn't change anything does it?  I am now focused on living in the here and now.  

  • Hello Kab4680 and thank you for your post.

    I am sorry to learn of your situation this must be a difficult time.

    Doctors take several things into account when planning treatment, such as how fast-growing the cancer is its size and how far it has spread (grade and stage), whether there are certain proteins (receptors) on the cancer cells, and a person's general health. Knowing this information tells the doctors what the risk of the cancer coming back might be and what treatment is needed to reduce this risk.

    Chemotherapy is recommended after surgery for cancers that are HER 2 positive, this is an add-on (adjuvant) treatment to get rid of any microscopically tiny cancer cells that possibly may have been left behind during surgery, to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.

    As Profbraw has commented, whether or not you decide to have chemotherapy will depend on what the percentages you have been given mean to you and whether or not you may have regrets if you did not have treatment and the cancer did come back. For some people, increasing survival even if it is a small percentage is the most important thing when weighed against possible side effects. For other people, the possible side effects may outweigh the percentage of increased survival. 

    It is difficult because no one can predict how the chemotherapy will affect you and what side effects you will have and there is no clear right or wrong answer, it is what you feel is right for you at the time.  It is worth chatting about this with your breast nurse specialist (CNS), they can go through your treatment options with you again and talk through any concerns you may have

    I wish you all the best with making this decision, please feel free to contact us again if you have any further questions or if you would like to talk things through with one of the nurses on the helpline. The freephone number to call is 0808 800 4040 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday

    Take care, all the best

    Jemma

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