Am I making the right decision

sfolk
sfolk Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I am a 38 year old female and in August I was diagnosed with infiltrating ductal carsonoma. To make a long story short, I have had a lumpectomy and one round of chemo. I went to a followup appointment with my oncologist today following my 1st treatment. She told me that my PET Scan, CAT Scan, and cardiogram were all clear. With my lumpectomy my margins and nodes were all clear. I did test HER2 positive. I am really just confused as to why I am having to have Chemo if everything is clear. Can someone convince me that I am doing the right thing by having Chemo. Thanks!

Comments

  • mizcaldwell
    mizcaldwell Member Posts: 143
    #2
    Chemo is a Hard Decision
    Typically chemo is done when there is some indicator that either the cancer has spread OR that some factor indicates the tumor is aggressive. In my case, I too had clean margins, small lesion, caught early, no lymph node involvement - but the Oncotype-DX showed a very aggressive tumor and my HERS-2 was really high - also showing an aggressive tumor. For that reason, chemo was suggested to attempt to thwart any further recurrence. Even with clean margins, there may be cells they haven't identified - so chemo is like a scouring pad to get those cells. I was told that if they can keep cancer from recurring, there is a chance for a cure. If there is a recurrence, it is treatable, but not curable. For many it comes down to deciding do I take the chance of it recurring and then saying, "I wonder if chemo would have caught this?" or knowing they did all they could up front. It's a tough choice - your doctor should be able to give you more detail as to why exactly they recommend chemo for you.

    It stinks that we have to make these choices - doesn't it? And yet, facing the alternative of no options, at least we have a choice. God bless you as you seek to find the answer for you. My prayers are with you.

    Lori
  • CR1954
    CR1954 Member Posts: 1,390 Member
    #3
    sfolk...
    Hello and welcome, although I'm sorry for your dx.

    Are you getting Herceptin, due to being HER-2+? Perhaps you are not getting actual chemo, but Herceptin, which is a standard drug now for HER-2+ breast cancers. I just finished a year of Herceptin infusions.
    If you are not sure what you are getting, ask your onc.

    At any rate, don't be afraid to talk to your onc and find out about your treatment.

    Best wishes...CR
  • DianeBC
    DianeBC Member Posts: 3,881 Member
    #4
    CR1954 said:

    sfolk...
    Hello and welcome, although I'm sorry for your dx.

    Are you getting Herceptin, due to being HER-2+? Perhaps you are not getting actual chemo, but Herceptin, which is a standard drug now for HER-2+ breast cancers. I just finished a year of Herceptin infusions.
    If you are not sure what you are getting, ask your onc.

    At any rate, don't be afraid to talk to your onc and find out about your treatment.

    Best wishes...CR

    Hi! Does your oncologist
    Hi! Does your oncologist think you need chemo? Did you have the Oncotype test? Is there a big percentage that chemo will help you? Good luck!

    Hugs, Diane ♥
  • sfolk
    sfolk Member Posts: 4
    #5
    DianeBC said:

    Hi! Does your oncologist
    Hi! Does your oncologist think you need chemo? Did you have the Oncotype test? Is there a big percentage that chemo will help you? Good luck!

    Hugs, Diane ♥

    Do I need Chemo
    Thanks for responding. My oncologist really did not give me any options. She basically said this is what you have and this is the course of treatment. I have to have 6 rounds of chemo along with 1 year of Herceptin. After meeting with her yesterday and she said all of my scans were clear it made me just start questioning my treatment.
  • sfolk
    sfolk Member Posts: 4
    #6
    CR1954 said:

    sfolk...
    Hello and welcome, although I'm sorry for your dx.

    Are you getting Herceptin, due to being HER-2+? Perhaps you are not getting actual chemo, but Herceptin, which is a standard drug now for HER-2+ breast cancers. I just finished a year of Herceptin infusions.
    If you are not sure what you are getting, ask your onc.

    At any rate, don't be afraid to talk to your onc and find out about your treatment.

    Best wishes...CR

    Do I need chemo
    Thanks for responding to my delemia. I am getting the Herceptin in addition to 6 rounds of chemo. I was just confused as to why I was having chemo if everything was clear.
  • padee6339
    padee6339 Member Posts: 763
    #7
    mizcaldwell said:

    Chemo is a Hard Decision
    Typically chemo is done when there is some indicator that either the cancer has spread OR that some factor indicates the tumor is aggressive. In my case, I too had clean margins, small lesion, caught early, no lymph node involvement - but the Oncotype-DX showed a very aggressive tumor and my HERS-2 was really high - also showing an aggressive tumor. For that reason, chemo was suggested to attempt to thwart any further recurrence. Even with clean margins, there may be cells they haven't identified - so chemo is like a scouring pad to get those cells. I was told that if they can keep cancer from recurring, there is a chance for a cure. If there is a recurrence, it is treatable, but not curable. For many it comes down to deciding do I take the chance of it recurring and then saying, "I wonder if chemo would have caught this?" or knowing they did all they could up front. It's a tough choice - your doctor should be able to give you more detail as to why exactly they recommend chemo for you.

    It stinks that we have to make these choices - doesn't it? And yet, facing the alternative of no options, at least we have a choice. God bless you as you seek to find the answer for you. My prayers are with you.

    Lori

    Me too
    I had a small tumor and the margins were clear. He did a lumpectomy and removed one lymph node and it was negative. My Oncotype DX also showed it was aggressive, so I did the 6 rounds of chemo and 36 rads. My feeling was, and still is, if its in there and its bad - get it out or zap it to death! Good luck!
    Hugs - Pat
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #8
    sfolk said:

    Do I need chemo
    Thanks for responding to my delemia. I am getting the Herceptin in addition to 6 rounds of chemo. I was just confused as to why I was having chemo if everything was clear.

    You need to talk to your
    You need to talk to your oncologist about the chemo. There has to be some reason why he or she would have you take it. We can't know your total history, so, it is impossible for us to guess as to why you are suppose to take it. Wishing you luck!

    Lex♥

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