If you are stage 1, ER/PR+, HER- and need chemo, can you tell me the reason?

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  • Asmi637
    Asmi637 Member Posts: 8
    #22
    Hi, questions on chemo?
    Hi, my mom was just recently diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer grade 3, 1.3cm tumor in her breast with ER/PR+ HER- and she is 54 years old. I was wondering if she would be needing chemo? I dont know the oncotest yet because her surgery has not been done yet so we also dont know if any of the nodes are affected or not but if they are all clear, do you suggest chemo? You have been through it and wanted to know what you decided to do? Just trying to figure out everything for her.
  • Asmi637
    Asmi637 Member Posts: 8
    #23
    Hi, questions on chemo?
    Hi, my mom was just recently diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer grade 3, 1.3cm tumor in her breast with ER/PR+ HER- and she is 54 years old. I was wondering if she would be needing chemo? I dont know the oncotest yet because her surgery has not been done yet so we also dont know if any of the nodes are affected or not but if they are all clear, do you suggest chemo? You have been through it and wanted to know what you decided to do? Just trying to figure out everything for her.
  • Asmi637
    Asmi637 Member Posts: 8
    #24
    Hi, questions on chemo?
    Hi, my mom was just recently diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer grade 3, 1.3cm tumor in her breast with ER/PR+ HER- and she is 54 years old. I was wondering if she would be needing chemo? I dont know the oncotest yet because her surgery has not been done yet so we also dont know if any of the nodes are affected or not but if they are all clear, do you suggest chemo? You have been through it and wanted to know what you decided to do? Just trying to figure out everything for her.
  • Asmi637
    Asmi637 Member Posts: 8
    #25
    Hi, my mom was just recently
    Hi, my mom was just recently diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer grade 3, 1.3cm tumor in her breast with ER/PR+ HER- and she is 54 years old. I was wondering if she would be needing chemo? I dont know the oncotest yet because her surgery has not been done yet so we also dont know if any of the nodes are affected or not but if they are all clear, do you suggest chemo? You have been through it and wanted to know what you decided to do? Just trying to figure out everything for her.
  • Asmi637
    Asmi637 Member Posts: 8
    #26
    Question about chemo
    Hi, my mom was just recently diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer grade 3, 1.3cm tumor in her breast with ER/PR+ HER- and she is 54 years old. I was wondering if she would be needing chemo? I dont know the oncotest yet because her surgery has not been done yet so we also dont know if any of the nodes are affected or not but if they are all clear, do you suggest chemo? You have been through it and wanted to know what you decided to do? Just trying to figure out everything for her.
  • MsGebby
    MsGebby Member Posts: 659
    #27
    I am asked about this all time
    I am stage 2, IDC/DCIS, 3cm tumor, no nodes involved, grade 2, ER+/PR+ HER2-. I had a re excision to get clean margins. The very first day I met with my oncologist, she wanted me to start chemo right away. I cannot tell you how much that made my heart skip. I didn't want to go that route and asked for Oncotype DX. The test came back with a number 4! My onco couldn't believe it. She thought that the Ki67 and p53 scores were too high as well as the tumor being so large and thought that there was no way I could side step this treatment.

    Thank goodness for Oncotype DX. I did 38 rounds of radiation and now take Tamoxifen. I am told I will be taking it for 10 years. I guess this is becoming the new norm.

    Please make sure to ask about this test. It really does tell the whole story.

    xoxo
    Mary
  • Asmi637
    Asmi637 Member Posts: 8
    #28
    MsGebby said:

    I am asked about this all time
    I am stage 2, IDC/DCIS, 3cm tumor, no nodes involved, grade 2, ER+/PR+ HER2-. I had a re excision to get clean margins. The very first day I met with my oncologist, she wanted me to start chemo right away. I cannot tell you how much that made my heart skip. I didn't want to go that route and asked for Oncotype DX. The test came back with a number 4! My onco couldn't believe it. She thought that the Ki67 and p53 scores were too high as well as the tumor being so large and thought that there was no way I could side step this treatment.

    Thank goodness for Oncotype DX. I did 38 rounds of radiation and now take Tamoxifen. I am told I will be taking it for 10 years. I guess this is becoming the new norm.

    Please make sure to ask about this test. It really does tell the whole story.

    xoxo
    Mary

    Lthe second important test
    This is the exact test we are going to be waiting for after the surgery. Then we can Make our decision. Thanks for sharing with me. How long did your radiation take?
  • Ctine70
    Ctine70 Member Posts: 150
    #29
    Hi
    I too had IDC stage 1 grade 2 tumor 1.3 nodes clear and margins clear. My oncologist said that due to my age 42 chemo was needed ( was also hormone receptive positive) she said that there were a few reasons...one was that you never know if some of the cancer did escape and could be somewhere else. Two because I needed to be put into menopause since my cancer was hormone feed and lastly because of my age it increased my survival rate. I just finished 6 rounds of T/C and will start 35 rounds of radiation in January
    Hope this helps, good luck to you

    Hugs
    Christine
  • Asmi637
    Asmi637 Member Posts: 8
    #30
    Mom had her surgry

    My mom had the mastectomy  and her results said that she had a 1.5 cm plus another small lump which was smaller than the 1.5 which now puts her in grade 1B Stage 3 Breast Cancer 

    she also had a Microscopic cancer in one of her lymph node which they removed 8 total Lymph nodes.  Now we are confused on what our next step would be.  We have requested the Oncotype test but now im thinking if there was a resaon I did that because I should have her do the rounds of chemo?  Can anyone help to decide and what they have done if they were in the same situation?  We are so confused now.  

  • Crystalball
    Crystalball Member Posts: 1
    #31
    Double Whammy said:

    Oncotype DX 31
    My BC was Stage 1, Grade 2, ER/PR+, Her2 -. We did the oncotype test and that made the decision for me. I had already decided I would do chemo unless the oncotype # was really low. I just wanted to give it everything I could. Turned out I didn't have a choice (well, of course, I could have said no).

    Suzanne

    Follow up

    Hi Suzanne,

     

    I saw your comment on the blog, although three years ago and not sure you still read them, but was wondering if you've had any reoccurrences since then? I hope you don't mind me asking but I was recently diagnosed and am SO similar, DCIS, LCIS, IDC, Stage 1, grade 2, clean margins, no lymph node involvement and oncotype 32. I believe you had chemo, correct? I am agonizing whether to have chemo as well so was wondering how you are doing these days?

     

    i really hope that all is well now and that you don't mind me asking.

  • Double Whammy
    Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
    #32
    Crystalball said:

    Follow up

    Hi Suzanne,

     

    I saw your comment on the blog, although three years ago and not sure you still read them, but was wondering if you've had any reoccurrences since then? I hope you don't mind me asking but I was recently diagnosed and am SO similar, DCIS, LCIS, IDC, Stage 1, grade 2, clean margins, no lymph node involvement and oncotype 32. I believe you had chemo, correct? I am agonizing whether to have chemo as well so was wondering how you are doing these days?

     

    i really hope that all is well now and that you don't mind me asking.

    I'm still here and doing great

    I was diagnosed and treated in 2010.  I'm doing great, no recurrence or new cancer.  I have a mammogram once a year, and breast MRI once a year, so I am looked at every 6 months.  I take Tamoxifen.  Now see my med onc only every 6 months.  In another year, I believe I will see her only yearly and I don't know if the breast MRI will continue or not.  We'll cross that bridge when I'm there. 

    Unlike many others, I feel absolutely fabulous.  I feel better than I did prior to diagnosis and I'm now 67 years old. I have made some major lifestyle changes.  I exercise 5 X a week for at least an hour.  I think this has been my greatest accomplishment andI  chalk it up to why I feel so good.  I seldom have alcohol anymore and my diet is very healthy - not because of the breast cancer thing, but for general health issues and I am very happy with what I eat.  I've done this even though my husband adamantly refuses to do anything healthy (especially eating).    I recently exercised myself out of one of my blood pressure medications and I am so happy about that. 

    Yes, we do have a simiilar diagnosis and oncotype.  I also had extensive DCIS but not LCIS, so I had IDC and DCIS.  I often wonder (now) if I really "needed" chemo, but I would still do it  given the medical advice I was given based on my oncotype score.  If I had not had chemo, I know I would have been much more nervous about recurrence because this decision would ahve been contrary to medical advice.   The worry hangs on for a while regardless, but it gets better as time passes with no bad news.

    Good luck in your decision and no, of course, I don't mind you asking - especially when I can give you positive feedback.  Oh, chemotherapy is not fun, but initial chemotherapy does have an ending date and it is doable.  I think I had every side effect known and then some they didn't tell me about, but I still remember thinking during treatment "this isn't so bad".  Those of us who did it, are here to support you if you do it.

    Suzanne

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