oncotype test which is right?

MCJ
MCJ Member Posts: 59
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi
my wife was first diagnosed estrogen positive, had a microscopic show of cancer on a lymph node through an axilla mri [needle biopsy], had a mestectomy, lymph nodes 15 of 15 clear, do not know what happened to the one that showed the small amount of cancer, dr. reduced the amount of chemo to taxotere and gytaxan 4 cycles every 3 weeks, THEN we asked for the oncotype test which came back saying she had estrogen negative, and that means more extensive chemo, we got the results today and also began chemo today

which test is right? The dr said the onco is more accurate, we would have been treated for estrogen positive,

anybody have this happen or have a viewpoint on this?

Thanks

Comments

  • Sunrae
    Sunrae Member Posts: 808
    #2
    Hi MCJ, I was dxed estrogen
    Hi MCJ, I was dxed estrogen positive, 3 tumors and lymph node involvement and was put on Femara to reduce the tumors and then I would have surgery. I also had the oncotype test and had a low rate so I probably won't take chemo. Dr. Susan Love (BC Dr.) stated on her web site that the Oncotype DX is a genetic test that is done on a small piece of tumor tissue. It is used to assess whether a woman with ER positive tumor has a low, medium or high risk for recurrence. The test will show a "recurrence score" from 0-100. A score less than 18 means you have a low risk of recurrence. The higher the score the higher the risk for reccurrence.Do you know what your wife's score is?
    I don't know if this test would show whether the tumor was ER positive or negative, never heard that. But it does help determine whether chemo would be beneficial or not. I would suggest asking the oncologist or surgeon more questions about this situation. You're a very caring and supportive husband to find us here and I'm sure you will get more info on this. Keep us posted on what you find out and how your wife is doing. Sunrae
  • mizcaldwell
    mizcaldwell Member Posts: 143
    #3
    Oncotype
    My oncologist said that the Oncotype test trumps everything. They take a piece of the tumor itself and do genetic testing. The results are very accurate - so I'm told - and give Estrogen/Progesterone receptivity, HERS-2 scores as well as the recurrence score. So they will take it as the final word as to what the tumor is. It she is triple negative, it means that none of the hormone therapies that hormone receptive cancers respond to will work for her - so chemo is the treatment typically given for triple negative.

    I don't have triple negative - but there are many here who do - and I am sure they will weigh in for you. Read through some of the older posts - there is lots of info. And the Triple Negative Foundation is also a great resource.

    Good luck and know that there are many here who understand what you are all going through!

    Lori
  • MCJ
    MCJ Member Posts: 59
    #4
    Sunrae said:

    Hi MCJ, I was dxed estrogen
    Hi MCJ, I was dxed estrogen positive, 3 tumors and lymph node involvement and was put on Femara to reduce the tumors and then I would have surgery. I also had the oncotype test and had a low rate so I probably won't take chemo. Dr. Susan Love (BC Dr.) stated on her web site that the Oncotype DX is a genetic test that is done on a small piece of tumor tissue. It is used to assess whether a woman with ER positive tumor has a low, medium or high risk for recurrence. The test will show a "recurrence score" from 0-100. A score less than 18 means you have a low risk of recurrence. The higher the score the higher the risk for reccurrence.Do you know what your wife's score is?
    I don't know if this test would show whether the tumor was ER positive or negative, never heard that. But it does help determine whether chemo would be beneficial or not. I would suggest asking the oncologist or surgeon more questions about this situation. You're a very caring and supportive husband to find us here and I'm sure you will get more info on this. Keep us posted on what you find out and how your wife is doing. Sunrae

    Hi Sunrae,I do not know
    Hi Sunrae,
    I do not know what the score was, I do remember he said the recurrence number was high. It's weird the dr did not feel the need for the test as my wife was in pretty good shape as far as lymph nodes, tumor size, pathology report. But when the results came back he was glad we took it. He said we needed more extensive chemo treatment. We were devistated but we have to feel fortunate for the test because we would have not treted the cancer correctly. Thanks for the help.
    Oh Yeh one thing, why no chemo when you had lymph node involvement?
    Jerry
  • LadyParvati
    LadyParvati Member Posts: 328
    #5
    Those Darned Tests!
    My surgeon, who is from Johns Hopkins, explained to me that the ER/PgR tests that are commonly run are time-dependent; if they are not run within a certain time, they can be inaccurate. I was first dx'd as ER-, PgR weakly positive (10%), and HER2-. Having a weak positive is extremely rare (<5%), so the surgeon (at a different hospital from where I was originally dx'd) had the tests rerun. Sure enough, I'm triple negative, too.

    The Oncotype DX test has been very well validated through research and is less subject to error of the type to which the most common hormone receptor test is subject, so you can trust it more.

    As explained by another person here, negative means your wife's tumor growth wasn't stimulated by hormones, so hormone-blocking agents won't work for her--or me--to prevent a recurrence. For someone who has an ER+ cancer with a low Oncotype DX score, hormone-blocking agents are believed to be all that is needed to prevent a recurrence. For your wife and me, chemotherapy is all that can be used.

    You and your wife might find __Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book__ really helpful in explaining a lot of the tests and their meanings. That was my starting point for research on my cancer and appropriate treatments.

    Good luck to both of you--your wife is very fortunate to have a husband who is willing to invest his time & energy into researching her situation and supporting her to the fullest extent. Give her an extra hug from me!

    Sandy
  • Sunrae
    Sunrae Member Posts: 808
    #6
    LadyParvati said:

    Those Darned Tests!
    My surgeon, who is from Johns Hopkins, explained to me that the ER/PgR tests that are commonly run are time-dependent; if they are not run within a certain time, they can be inaccurate. I was first dx'd as ER-, PgR weakly positive (10%), and HER2-. Having a weak positive is extremely rare (<5%), so the surgeon (at a different hospital from where I was originally dx'd) had the tests rerun. Sure enough, I'm triple negative, too.

    The Oncotype DX test has been very well validated through research and is less subject to error of the type to which the most common hormone receptor test is subject, so you can trust it more.

    As explained by another person here, negative means your wife's tumor growth wasn't stimulated by hormones, so hormone-blocking agents won't work for her--or me--to prevent a recurrence. For someone who has an ER+ cancer with a low Oncotype DX score, hormone-blocking agents are believed to be all that is needed to prevent a recurrence. For your wife and me, chemotherapy is all that can be used.

    You and your wife might find __Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book__ really helpful in explaining a lot of the tests and their meanings. That was my starting point for research on my cancer and appropriate treatments.

    Good luck to both of you--your wife is very fortunate to have a husband who is willing to invest his time & energy into researching her situation and supporting her to the fullest extent. Give her an extra hug from me!

    Sandy</p>

    As Lady Parvati posted,
    As Lady Parvati posted, hormone blocking agents (in my case Femara) do work well for those who are ER+ with a low Oncotype DX score. I had bone scans and CT scan which came back clear and I also had a total hysterectomy years ago which means I don't have to worry about an ovarian problem later. I don't know yet whether I'll have a lumpectomy or masectomy but that's when we'll find out more about the lymph node involvement. I may still have to have chemo in the future. Right now the Femara is working well for me and my tumors are shrinking, in the lympn node area too.
    Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book is good, but make sure its the 4th Edition is you purchase it. I got my copy online at Amazon for about $8 including shipping.
    Keeping your wife and you in my thoughts and prayers, Sunrae.

Discussion Boards