which is better: do the chemo first or Surgery?

cousindearie
cousindearie Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
im not actually the one who has cancer but i just try to help my cousin.. she has stage 3B breast cancer. no surgery was done because the doctor decided to do the chemo treatment 1st before the surgery. unfortunately, yesterday was her 1st chemo day and she experience allergic reason with taxotere.. she cant breath and numbness on her extremities..and so the chemo was stopped and taxotere will be replaced. i forgot the new one it starts with letter N..sumthing like naxocillin? i dunno...

Comments

  • shy violet
    shy violet Member Posts: 167
    #2
    dear cousin, every cancer
    dear cousin, every cancer treatment plan is different...i am guessing that since she is 3B they are doing chemo first to try to reduce the size of the tumor to make surgrry possible...i am glad you came here as you will see lots of people can help with your questions and concerns...and all forms of treatment might have different reaction to someon else...love, shy
  • shy violet
    shy violet Member Posts: 167
    #3
    shy violet said:

    dear cousin, every cancer
    dear cousin, every cancer treatment plan is different...i am guessing that since she is 3B they are doing chemo first to try to reduce the size of the tumor to make surgrry possible...i am glad you came here as you will see lots of people can help with your questions and concerns...and all forms of treatment might have different reaction to someon else...love, shy

    PS if you don't understand
    PS if you don't understand some of these terms, please ask...we sometimes type using buzz words and short cuts to wordsss
  • mrs gadget
    mrs gadget Member Posts: 118
    #4
    Didn't get a choice..
    With mine, the surgeon and the onc told me that they always do chem first They are strong believers in breast conserving surgery and feel that hitting the cancer with chemo before surger improves the outcomes...

    Like everyone else says, all cancers are not treated equally so always check with her doctor and see what he/she says.
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #5
    Different cancer = different protocols
    The protocol for different types of cancers are different. All cancers are not 'created' equal.

    For myself, because I'm IBC, which is very aggressive, I had to have chemo first to try to shrink it and get margins before the surgeon had any hope of getting it out. After 4 A/C, it had shrunk a lot and there were margins so went on to a rad. mod. mast.. After surgery, I had 12 weekly Taxol and the 5 weeks of radiation.

    We're each so unique that there is no hard and fast 'rules' that have to be followed.

    Susan

    Good point Shy

    IBC - Inflammatory Breast Cancer
    margins - the cancer has a 'boundary' and not spread to adjoining tissue; lymphnodes may still be involved.
    rad. mod. mast - radical modified mastectomy
    A/C - a type of chemo - Adrianmycin and Cytoxan (probably spelled it wrong)
  • seof
    seof Member Posts: 819 Member
    #6
    my experience
    My Oncologist prefers to do chemo before surgery when the tumor is big enough to be obvious because it is easy to see whether the particular combo of drugs is effective on your particular body. If the tumor is removed first, there is a lot more guesswork. For me it was a good choice. I started with a tumor that I could feel from the outside, like a boiled egg. After 3 weeks of chemo it was down to the size of a marble. We could tell without a doubt that the drugs were working. Surgery came next, then radiation, then more chemo to be sure all the cancer was gone, inclluding the "invisible" cells. I am not sure why your Cousin and her Dr. made the decision in her case. Everyone is different.

    hope it helps, seof.
  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    #7
    seof said:

    my experience
    My Oncologist prefers to do chemo before surgery when the tumor is big enough to be obvious because it is easy to see whether the particular combo of drugs is effective on your particular body. If the tumor is removed first, there is a lot more guesswork. For me it was a good choice. I started with a tumor that I could feel from the outside, like a boiled egg. After 3 weeks of chemo it was down to the size of a marble. We could tell without a doubt that the drugs were working. Surgery came next, then radiation, then more chemo to be sure all the cancer was gone, inclluding the "invisible" cells. I am not sure why your Cousin and her Dr. made the decision in her case. Everyone is different.

    hope it helps, seof.

    I had surgery first
    stage IIIC I had surgery first. I did not ask for conserving my breast even originally I was diagnosed with stage I. I am glad that underwent mastectomy and did not worry for 4 months during Chemo weather or not tumor has responded to treatment.

    IIIB you need to google it because I am not sure, I think B stays for collar lymph nodes, which are close to collar bone, is not operable before Chemo. Please check it out I maybe wrong.
    Hugs
  • lauri67
    lauri67 Member Posts: 15
    #8
    I was wondering the same thing!
    I was supposed to have a mastectomy with reconstruction then chemo but surgeon, hospital and insurance messed things up so I had a lumpectomy 9/24. They want to do chemo with herceptin asap then mastectomy w/recon after chemo. I'm stage 1 HER2, BRCA2, ER/PR positive. I'm assuming it's the HER2 or BRCA2 that is causing them to want to do chemo so soon. I see the oncologist tomorrow, hopefully I can get an aswer that I understand.
  • Hubby
    Hubby Member Posts: 325
    #9
    From what I've read...
    There is a controversy over this, but it is more common with larger tumors than smaller tumors. The "latest" studies seem to show now difference in survival rate between chemo before and after, although earlier studies showed a benefit to chemo before. And while they can tell if the chemo is working if they give it before, the cancer may spread if the chemo is not working and needs to changed, and they are worried about incomplete chemo regiments.

    In my wife's case, she was stage I, grade III and had chemo after a lumpectomy.

    Hope your cousin does well on the next chemo.

    Bob
  • sea60
    sea60 Member Posts: 2,613
    #10
    True, everyone's regimen is different
    depending on the circumstances. I was given Chemo first to shrink the tumor, then it was surgery. Afterwards, I had the mastectomy on the affected breast, then radiation. Then reconstructive surgery removing the unaffected breast and I had the DIEP surgery.

    I'm sorry to hear about your cousin :(

    I'm praying she is able to tolerate the new chemo drug.

    Sylvia
  • Evoling_butterfly
    Evoling_butterfly Member Posts: 57
    #11
    guess
    I have invasive ductual carcinoma with acute and chronic inflammation with abscess formation..yada yada.. I was given chemo first (Adriamycin/Cytoxan and Taxotere) due to the size of the mass and inflammation of my breast. They hope to reduce mass and to stop the inflammation. The doctors have a plan of attack for each patient and pretty much equals the same whether chemo comes first or second. In my case surgery would have been more risky due to the size and the abscess...
  • cookie97
    cookie97 Member Posts: 200
    #12
    I also....
    Am having chemo first, I had no problems with the taxotere. But everybody is different. Good luck to your cousin and let us know how the new medicnes work for her.

    Peace and Love,
    Edie
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #13
    I was
    not given the option of chemo first. I'm 61 and the 5th in my family with bc. I had Invasive Lobular Carcinoma in my right breast (6.1cm) and Lobular Carcinoma in Situ in the left breast. I had bilateral mastectomy 6-22-10 and started chemo cocktail of Taxotere/Cytoxan 8- 10-10.
    Char

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