Has anyone ever heard of this happening?

sparky72156
sparky72156 Member Posts: 61
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
After my bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction (my decision), the final pathology showed a 0.5cm area of invasive cells. The margins were wide and the nodes were negative. The cells were ER+, HER2-. My oncologist has said that I need no further treatment besides an every-four-month followup appt. I have never heard of that happening. He said that there is no protocol for any chemo or radiation for a tumor that small, with those characteristics. I don't know how I could have gotten that lucky.

Comments

  • katznc
    katznc Member Posts: 70
    #2
    I am having a mastectomy
    I am having a mastectomy with small invasive tumor (my decision also)..I will not have to have radiation or chemo unless my pathology is way worse then they think or nodes are positive which they do not think are they are. That part is pretty standard I know. I am ER+ HER2- also. I cannot address the after drugs though ( tamoxifen etc.) as I'm not there yet. I have read and heard that the after drugs are important. I am sure there are some women out there that can address the drugs as everyone seems so knowledgable.
  • Dot53
    Dot53 Member Posts: 239 Member
    #3
    I had a similar situation
    I had a similar situation but my cancer was found during breast reduction surgery. It was small 3 mm and ER & PR+ HER2-. I had a bilateral mastectomy in Dec 09 and no further treatment was necessary. They put me on Arimidex and then Femara but I couldn't handle either of those drugs. I just started taking Tamoxifen a couple weeks ago.

    Best,
    Dot
  • Christine Louise
    Christine Louise Member Posts: 426 Member
    #4
    Second opinion
    I think I would get the opinion of another oncologist, if I were you. I hope you, indeed, are that lucky!
  • sparky72156
    sparky72156 Member Posts: 61
    #5
    Dot53 said:

    I had a similar situation
    I had a similar situation but my cancer was found during breast reduction surgery. It was small 3 mm and ER & PR+ HER2-. I had a bilateral mastectomy in Dec 09 and no further treatment was necessary. They put me on Arimidex and then Femara but I couldn't handle either of those drugs. I just started taking Tamoxifen a couple weeks ago.

    Best,
    Dot

    My onc told me that, because
    My onc told me that, because I had the bilateral mastectomy, I was what he would consider to be "on the fence". By that, he means that the risks of taking Tamoxifen are greater than my chance of recurrence. If my HER2 had been positive, he would have wanted me to take the Tamoxifen, but even then, the risks from Tamoxifen would have been equal to the benefits. It really seems to be a numbers game, doesn't it?
  • katznc
    katznc Member Posts: 70
    #6
    Christine Louise said:

    Second opinion
    I think I would get the opinion of another oncologist, if I were you. I hope you, indeed, are that lucky!

    second opinion
    I agree that a second oncologist opinion is a good idea.
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #7
    katznc said:

    second opinion
    I agree that a second oncologist opinion is a good idea.

    If it were me, I would
    If it were me, I would definitely get a second opinion.

    Wishing you good luck!


    Sue :)
  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294 Member
    #8
    Ritzy said:

    If it were me, I would
    If it were me, I would definitely get a second opinion.

    Wishing you good luck!


    Sue :)

    Second opinion
    I agree with everyone. If your were Her2+ you would be on Herceptin. Since you are Er+ standard of care usually recommend estrogen blocker -hormonal therapy. Weather or not to use Tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors depends on your menopausal status and other factors. I do not you will confident until another doctor support original approach.
    Wishing you the best,
    New Flower
  • sparky72156
    sparky72156 Member Posts: 61
    #9
    New Flower said:

    Second opinion
    I agree with everyone. If your were Her2+ you would be on Herceptin. Since you are Er+ standard of care usually recommend estrogen blocker -hormonal therapy. Weather or not to use Tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors depends on your menopausal status and other factors. I do not you will confident until another doctor support original approach.
    Wishing you the best,
    New Flower

    Onc and I discussed
    Onc and I discussed Tamoxifen but because of other health issues, he felt that the risks of hormonal therapy outweighed the benefits. He said that, because I had the bilateral mastectomy, that was as aggressive as I could get.
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #10
    sparky72156 said:

    Onc and I discussed
    Onc and I discussed Tamoxifen but because of other health issues, he felt that the risks of hormonal therapy outweighed the benefits. He said that, because I had the bilateral mastectomy, that was as aggressive as I could get.

    sounds good, but I am the
    sounds good, but I am the queen of second opinions and you need to know that now, not if you are wondering in a year.
  • KayNYC
    KayNYC Member Posts: 495 Member
    #11
    Dear Sparky
    I had a lumpectomy and sentinel node excision on 3/17. My mass was considered, early and small at 3 mm and ER & PR+ HER2-. I was told that because I had a lumpectomy I will need radiation and hormone treatment x5 yrs. It seems likely that with your situation, there is no further treatment required at this time however, it sounds like you are uneasy about this so I agree with the others that a seoncd opinion appears to make good sense. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
    K
  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #12
    katznc said:

    second opinion
    I agree that a second oncologist opinion is a good idea.

    2nd opinion
    I would get a second opinion also, just to be sure. Good luck!
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #13
    New Flower said:

    Second opinion
    I agree with everyone. If your were Her2+ you would be on Herceptin. Since you are Er+ standard of care usually recommend estrogen blocker -hormonal therapy. Weather or not to use Tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors depends on your menopausal status and other factors. I do not you will confident until another doctor support original approach.
    Wishing you the best,
    New Flower

    I like 2nd opinions if there
    I like 2nd opinions if there is even one small piece of you that thinks you need and want it. Good luck


    Leeza
  • cathyp
    cathyp Member Posts: 379 Member
    #14
    sparky72156 said:

    Onc and I discussed
    Onc and I discussed Tamoxifen but because of other health issues, he felt that the risks of hormonal therapy outweighed the benefits. He said that, because I had the bilateral mastectomy, that was as aggressive as I could get.

    2nd opinion
    I had a bilateral also, my situation is very similiar to yours. (I couldn't have rads due to having rads for Hodgkins Lymphoma). Tamoxifen was too risky for me too. I went for a second opinion to a large, well known cancer center and received the same opinion as the first. Also, my oncologist said there is some merit in the research that a good diet is as beneficial as taking tamoxifen. Best wishes.

    Cathy
  • e_hope
    e_hope Member Posts: 370
    #15
    true
    I have heard of that.. and have met 2 different woman with similar circumstances.. but if you feel uncertain you should get a second opinion. I was not fortune enough to not have chemo, but I still went to 2 different oncologist to see what they had to say.
  • sparky72156
    sparky72156 Member Posts: 61
    #16
    e_hope said:

    true
    I have heard of that.. and have met 2 different woman with similar circumstances.. but if you feel uncertain you should get a second opinion. I was not fortune enough to not have chemo, but I still went to 2 different oncologist to see what they had to say.

    I am so glad to hear that
    I am so glad to hear that someone else has heard of that happening! I adore my oncologist and I know that he is very current on all the literature and has been practicing for many years. So I don't feel that I need a second opinion. I am just really glad to hear that it has happened to others! Thanks, ehope.

Discussion Boards