Is it possible to skip chemo ??

lksdgrl101
lksdgrl101 Member Posts: 12
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hey ladies...I am 2 weeks past my bilateral mastectomy, they offered a lumpectomy, but I just wanted it all out, and did immediate reconstruction, my nodes and margians were clear. I don't have the brca gene, all the other receptors were the good kind, is it possible to skip chemo, or is it pretty much the standard....how do they decide....? Thanks ladies, I wrote to you when this journey first began in May, and I can't thank you enough for listening and helping to this point so far.....

Comments

  • lolad
    lolad Member Posts: 670
    #2
    They
    will do a dx marker test on you and test what your recurrence percentage would be and then they discuss your options. Usually when it is caught early, is not in nodes or margins and your reoccurence percentage is low, they leave it up to you. I cant say what they will do in your situation. That was just mine. I ended up having to have chemo anyway because of my tests and size and stage
  • Hubby
    Hubby Member Posts: 325
    #3
    I know you asked the ladies,
    I know you asked the ladies, but I just took the crash course in this. It all depends on your tumor stage; grade and receptors er/pr and her2 positives or negatives. Someone who has an early stage; low grade tumor that is er/pr+ and her2 negative might not get recommended for chemo.

    They also might send out for an Oncotype test which will further evaluate how well your cancer would respond to chemo.

    Have you gotten your final pathology yet?

    bob
  • lksdgrl101
    lksdgrl101 Member Posts: 12
    #4
    Hubby said:

    I know you asked the ladies,
    I know you asked the ladies, but I just took the crash course in this. It all depends on your tumor stage; grade and receptors er/pr and her2 positives or negatives. Someone who has an early stage; low grade tumor that is er/pr+ and her2 negative might not get recommended for chemo.

    They also might send out for an Oncotype test which will further evaluate how well your cancer would respond to chemo.

    Have you gotten your final pathology yet?

    bob

    final pathology
    appt with the oncologist tomorrow, they are supposed to have the final pathology, including all the stains they were doing....guess I will know more then...in my perfect world I would love to skip chemo, have summer with my 2 kids (one is special needs) and enjoy it with my husband...but I guess life isn't perfect....it's messy..haha......I wonder if I have to make decision on the spot....or is there a timeframe involved....can it be postponed for summer...
  • sal314
    sal314 Member Posts: 599 Member
    #5
    lksdgrl101 said:

    final pathology
    appt with the oncologist tomorrow, they are supposed to have the final pathology, including all the stains they were doing....guess I will know more then...in my perfect world I would love to skip chemo, have summer with my 2 kids (one is special needs) and enjoy it with my husband...but I guess life isn't perfect....it's messy..haha......I wonder if I have to make decision on the spot....or is there a timeframe involved....can it be postponed for summer...

    Iksdgrl101
    Like some others said, it really depends on the pathology reports and staging. I was young and had no lymph nodes involved and had positive estrogen/progestrone receptors. But there was no question in my doctors mind that I should have chemo.

    Being young and just not knowing if even one little cell got loose, I looked at it as insurance. And being that I had a 15 month old son at the time, I didn't want to NOT do all I could to insure it was gone.

    Keep in mind however, that was 8.5 years ago. I understand they now have tests to determine if chemo would actually help or not. I well might have gone through it for nada! LOL.

    And as far as making a decision, don't EVER feel you have to make one "on the spot"! Taking a couple of days to think things over and come to a decision that you are comfortable with is so important. Taking some time to think through it all won't make a difference.

    By the way, just curious as to what type of special needs your child has? I have two of my own. My 10 year old son is autistic and my 5 year old daughter (yes, she came after chemo!) had Down Syndrome.:)

    Good luck tomorrow! Let us know how things go:)

    Blessings,
    Sally
  • lksdgrl101
    lksdgrl101 Member Posts: 12
    #6
    sal314 said:

    Iksdgrl101
    Like some others said, it really depends on the pathology reports and staging. I was young and had no lymph nodes involved and had positive estrogen/progestrone receptors. But there was no question in my doctors mind that I should have chemo.

    Being young and just not knowing if even one little cell got loose, I looked at it as insurance. And being that I had a 15 month old son at the time, I didn't want to NOT do all I could to insure it was gone.

    Keep in mind however, that was 8.5 years ago. I understand they now have tests to determine if chemo would actually help or not. I well might have gone through it for nada! LOL.

    And as far as making a decision, don't EVER feel you have to make one "on the spot"! Taking a couple of days to think things over and come to a decision that you are comfortable with is so important. Taking some time to think through it all won't make a difference.

    By the way, just curious as to what type of special needs your child has? I have two of my own. My 10 year old son is autistic and my 5 year old daughter (yes, she came after chemo!) had Down Syndrome.:)

    Good luck tomorrow! Let us know how things go:)

    Blessings,
    Sally

    son
    Hey Sally, ...your plate is full too...my thoughts and prayers ar with you...my son is 18, but had a traumatic brain injury due to a 60 ft fall at the age of 9, had to relearn everything again...walking,talking,eating,etc....he has come way farther than he ever should have (let alone even survive), but he will never be what he was or could have been...but he is still a blessing....these are the things we survive for....

    Thanks for asking...Kris
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #7
    lksdgrl101 said:

    son
    Hey Sally, ...your plate is full too...my thoughts and prayers ar with you...my son is 18, but had a traumatic brain injury due to a 60 ft fall at the age of 9, had to relearn everything again...walking,talking,eating,etc....he has come way farther than he ever should have (let alone even survive), but he will never be what he was or could have been...but he is still a blessing....these are the things we survive for....

    Thanks for asking...Kris

    Sally and lksdgrl101 .. Wow the two of you have a difficult
    life - taking care of others, and trying to survive this new beast - called breast cancer. I am so very sorry.

    Skipping chemo - such a personal decision, that I can not even weigh in. Sorry.


    Vicki
  • Jean 0609
    Jean 0609 Member Posts: 2,462
    #8
    Chemo - my choice
    Had a mastectomy with clear lymph nodes. However, I was HER+, so my Oncologist recommended 4 chemo treatments and a year of herceptin. I didn't want to take any chance, so opted for the chemo. Have had 2 of the 4 (half way there). No major side effects. This was my personal choice and I'm glad I did. Everyone is different and the final choice is yours. We are here for you. Keep us posted. Hugs, Jean
  • Miss Murphy
    Miss Murphy Member Posts: 302
    #9
    Yes, It's possible
    Just wanted to let you know that it's possible to skip chemo. It depends on many factors. I had a masectomy w/out reconstruction and didn't do chemo - I was Stage 1, node negative, Estrogen positive, Her neg. My OncoType score was low and I was 58 when dx 2 1/2 years ago. I started on the aromatase drugs but after two different ones that caused severe muscle and joint pain so last fall I started the tamoxifen which is somewhat better.

    All of this is a personal decision for you - it has to be what your doctors advise based on your tests and what you are comfortable with. Good luck to you as you make your decision.

    Hugs, Sally
  • Hope 2010
    Hope 2010 Member Posts: 62
    #10
    Mine was also a low
    Mine was also a low grade,ER+/PR+ Her2- and I had a lumpectomy done in June. I did take the OncoType DX test and since my score was on the lower end, it was decided that I only need to do rads and hormone pills. But like everyone said, everyone is different and it's a personal choice you have to decide.
  • survives
    survives Member Posts: 254 Member
    #11
    Hope 2010 said:

    Mine was also a low
    Mine was also a low grade,ER+/PR+ Her2- and I had a lumpectomy done in June. I did take the OncoType DX test and since my score was on the lower end, it was decided that I only need to do rads and hormone pills. But like everyone said, everyone is different and it's a personal choice you have to decide.

    Triple positive
    I am triple positive, but BECAUSE I had a mastectomy and the tumors were less than 1 cm., I didn't qualify for chemo then. Also, as the argument went on, I was told that the se's outweighed the benefits from chemo, and that it wouldn't make that much difference. I'm four years out, and taking Femara, and am going strong. You will too, no matter what the outcome is!
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #12
    survives said:

    Triple positive
    I am triple positive, but BECAUSE I had a mastectomy and the tumors were less than 1 cm., I didn't qualify for chemo then. Also, as the argument went on, I was told that the se's outweighed the benefits from chemo, and that it wouldn't make that much difference. I'm four years out, and taking Femara, and am going strong. You will too, no matter what the outcome is!

    survives .. very interesting ... thank you
    for sharing this with us .. 4 years .. Wow



    Vicki
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #13
    lolad said:

    They
    will do a dx marker test on you and test what your recurrence percentage would be and then they discuss your options. Usually when it is caught early, is not in nodes or margins and your reoccurence percentage is low, they leave it up to you. I cant say what they will do in your situation. That was just mine. I ended up having to have chemo anyway because of my tests and size and stage

    The final pathology report
    The final pathology report determines a lot if you have chemo or not. And, if you have clean nodes and margins. Then they can do the Oncotype test to see what your numbers are also. Sometimes the percentage of help that chemo does is so small for some, that they don't take it. Others do no matter what, if they have a choice, some don't.

    Good luck!

    Leeza
  • lksdgrl101
    lksdgrl101 Member Posts: 12
    #14
    VickiSam said:

    survives .. very interesting ... thank you
    for sharing this with us .. 4 years .. Wow



    Vicki

    Thanks ladies
    Thanks everyone....I don't know what I would do without you all....the doctor sent off for the onco test last week, guess I have to wait about 3 weeks for results, I will keep you all posted.

    Love you all.....
  • Hubby
    Hubby Member Posts: 325
    #15
    lksdgrl101 said:

    Thanks ladies
    Thanks everyone....I don't know what I would do without you all....the doctor sent off for the onco test last week, guess I have to wait about 3 weeks for results, I will keep you all posted.

    Love you all.....

    Oncotype
    If you call the Oncotype people, they can give you a better idea of the time frame. They cannot tell you the actual results over the phone, but if you send them permission, they can fax the results to your oncologist (and even a second opinion doctor) when they are ready, maybe saving a day or two of waiting. And as Tom Petty sang ... The waiting is hardest part.

    Customer Service
    Tel: +1 (866) ONCOTYPE (866-662-6897)
    Monday through Friday, 5:30 AM to 5:00 PM PT
    Fax: 866-GHI-0640 (866-444-0640)

    Hugs and Good Luck

    Bob
  • webbwife50
    webbwife50 Member Posts: 394
    #16
    I'm not sure what you mean
    I'm not sure what you mean when you say all your other receptors were "the good kind", but I have had a similat experience making very similar decisions. I had a triple-negative breast cancer in my right breast. I opted for bilateral mastectomy and had no lymp involvement. I didn't my recon. 6 months later, after I'd finished chemo. I hoped I wouldn't have to do chemo but was told differently if I wanted the best odds at no reoccerence. The triple-neagative cancer turned out to be a big part of the reason as there is no other therapy at this time to treat it besides the standard of surg.chemo, and rads of you have lump. Good luck to you!

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