Chemo after masectomy?

TulsaMomof3
TulsaMomof3 Member Posts: 105
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I have been diagnosed with IDC, my doctor said I don't have 1 large tumor, I have multiple small tumors. She said because of this a lumpectomy is impossible and I must have a masectomy- I have opted to do both breast. They will not stage me until they do the senitnal node surgery which will be done with the masectomy.

Anyway my question is this. I am trying to plan for what to expect. Do most women with IDC have Chemo? Does it matter that I am having the masectomy? Do some doctors reccomend it even if the nodes are clear? I have been trying to do research but all the sites want to know the size of the tumor and mine was very small but had several going up the breast?

Comments

  • Christine Louise
    Christine Louise Member Posts: 426 Member
    #2
    Some info
    I had a bi-lateral mastectomy, with the second breast being my choice (although it did turn out to be cancerous, too). I had ILC, DCIS and LCIS and clear lymph nodes. Tomorrow I start chemo, which I chose to do based on my chance for recurrance of the cancer. This chance was revealed by a test -- Oncotype DX.

    From their brochure: "Oncotype DX helps identify which women with early-state, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and lymph node-negative breast cancer are more likely to benefit from adding chemotherapy to their hormonal treatment. The test also assesses the likelihood that a woman's breast cancer will return. ... The test measures the activity of different genes in a woman's breast tumor tissue." You can find more info at www.mytreatmentdecision.com.

    My cancer has a 15% chance for recurrance within 10 years. Some women would have chosen not to chemo, based on this score. I want to treat my cancer agressively and felt I could better withstand treatment now than when I'm older. I don't want to wait and worry.

    Another issue is that the mastectomy can't remove every single bit of breast tissue.

    You will get other information in addition to your Stage: whether your cancer in estrogen- and progesterone-receptor positive or negative and whether you are HER2 positive or negative (HER2 is a protein that promotes cancer growth). You also may choose to get genetic testing that will reveal even more info. Your total treatment will be based on these things.

    Your doctor may recommend chemo based on something I'm not aware of. (I'm just telling you what I know from my experience.) Hope I didn't overwhelm you here. Can you call your doctor or nurse and ask your questions?

    Best of luck. Keep posting back and people will reply.
  • Christine Louise
    Christine Louise Member Posts: 426 Member
    #3
    Me again
    Oh, I see on another thread that you are getting the genetic testing (BRCA1 and 2). That should give you good info to use in deciding on treatment.

    Waiting is so tough, as everyone said on that thread. My 7-week wait between diagnoses and surgery was safe because my cancers were caught early (yea, mammograms!) and were not aggressive. Yes, "invasive" or "infiltrating" sounds so aggressive! Still, it was a long wait and played mean tricks on my mind and emotions. It turned out to be good, though, because it gave me time to research and be confident in my decisions, such as to start breast reconstruction immediately.

    It's all scary and frustrating, but, as I hear and say over and over, "do-able."
  • TulsaMomof3
    TulsaMomof3 Member Posts: 105
    #4
    Christine Louise said:

    Me again
    Oh, I see on another thread that you are getting the genetic testing (BRCA1 and 2). That should give you good info to use in deciding on treatment.

    Waiting is so tough, as everyone said on that thread. My 7-week wait between diagnoses and surgery was safe because my cancers were caught early (yea, mammograms!) and were not aggressive. Yes, "invasive" or "infiltrating" sounds so aggressive! Still, it was a long wait and played mean tricks on my mind and emotions. It turned out to be good, though, because it gave me time to research and be confident in my decisions, such as to start breast reconstruction immediately.

    It's all scary and frustrating, but, as I hear and say over and over, "do-able."

    Thanks for the information.
    Thanks for the information. I think that I would make the same choice if it improved my chances by even a little. I have tried to explaing that to my husband - I know I can handle Chemo now I have so much support and I am young and strong, but I think it would be so much harder 10 years from now plus I wouldn't have the same help from my 60 year old parents who would then be 70. I would love to hear how it goes for you! Please update :)
  • cindycflynn
    cindycflynn Member Posts: 1,132 Member
    #5
    Hi Momof3
    I also had IDC, but was able to do a lumpectomy since there was only 1 tumor, and it was small.

    My lymph nodes were clear as well, but I still chose to do chemo for almost exactly the same reasons Christine outlined. You'll get much more information after your surgery about whether chemo will make sense for you or not. If your nodes are clear, they may want to do the Oncotype DX, but if your nodes are involved, then chemo is more likely to be recommended anyway, so you may not need the Oncotype (which is very expensive).

    I want to welcome you to these boards, which have been a wonderful resource for me and many others going through this challenging journey.

    Best wishes,
    Cindy
  • Christine Louise
    Christine Louise Member Posts: 426 Member
    #6
    TulsaMomof3 said:

    Thanks for the information.
    Thanks for the information. I think that I would make the same choice if it improved my chances by even a little. I have tried to explaing that to my husband - I know I can handle Chemo now I have so much support and I am young and strong, but I think it would be so much harder 10 years from now plus I wouldn't have the same help from my 60 year old parents who would then be 70. I would love to hear how it goes for you! Please update :)

    Will do.
    Your name "Momof3" should explain to anyone why you would be willing to fight with everything available.
  • Christine Louise
    Christine Louise Member Posts: 426 Member
    #7
    Christine Louise said:

    Will do.
    Your name "Momof3" should explain to anyone why you would be willing to fight with everything available.

    Check it out
    You might want to read a very active thread on this discussion board called "To chemo OR NOT to chemo."
  • TulsaMomof3
    TulsaMomof3 Member Posts: 105
    #8
    cindycflynn said:

    Hi Momof3
    I also had IDC, but was able to do a lumpectomy since there was only 1 tumor, and it was small.

    My lymph nodes were clear as well, but I still chose to do chemo for almost exactly the same reasons Christine outlined. You'll get much more information after your surgery about whether chemo will make sense for you or not. If your nodes are clear, they may want to do the Oncotype DX, but if your nodes are involved, then chemo is more likely to be recommended anyway, so you may not need the Oncotype (which is very expensive).

    I want to welcome you to these boards, which have been a wonderful resource for me and many others going through this challenging journey.

    Best wishes,
    Cindy

    Thanks so much for the
    Thanks so much for the information. I think for me no matter what the percentage if it increases my odds of living and not going through this again - because I do have 3 amazing children that are counting on me to be around. I will gladly do the chemo. I would never forgive myself if 8 years from now it came back and I didn't do everything in my power to prevent it. It gives me a small sense of empowerment knowing if have attacked this with everything I can get my hands on. ( But this is what I feel - every woman has to make the choice that gives them the most empowerment)

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