chemo help

Dina Wingfield
Dina Wingfield Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I am new to the site and need feedback from those of you who have experience. My 66 year old mom just underwent double mastectomy. Slow growing tumor, negative nodes, hormone receptive, clear margins...all the good stuff as far as I can tell. Her oncotype score is 14, and they said there is an 86% chance there will be no recurrence of this cancer. Her oncologist has recommended 6 cycles of chemo-taxotere and cytoxan cocktail-once every 3 weeks, followed by aromatase inhibitors.

Does anyone else have experience with such a low onc score and still being recommended chemo? We were under the impression she would not need to do the chemo until this meeting with onc. She is very active and strong, but so scared the chemo will fry her organs longterm and change her quality of life (my grandmother had breast cancer 15 years ago and the chemo basically killed her by destroying her liver). My mom also lives alone out in the country in a different state than any kids. I am worried about her doing the chemo alone-will she be too sick to take care of herself?

Please share your own experiences. I will try to get my mom a computer and get her on this site. It is amazing. Bless you all and prayers for your recovery.

Comments

  • teresa41
    teresa41 Member Posts: 471
    #2
    hi
    i am sorry about your mom. i was diagnosed the first time april 2009 i had a lumpectomy chemo and radiation i had 36 nodes removed they came back clear and my margins were clear also. my oncotype test came back 17 my oncoligist said it was high so i had 4 rounds of the same chemo taxotere and cytoxan every 3 weeks.i was diagnosed again april 2010 on the other breast i had a mastectomy on may 20,2010 with no other treatment needed. everyone is different. im wishing your mom the best.


    teresa
  • jackiejhm
    jackiejhm Member Posts: 169
    #3
    Dear dear Dina,
    First of all, welcome. I am so sorry to meet you this way. Your Mom's Drs may be reacting with cautious optimism... It is difficult to say. Chemo has come quite a long way in the past 20 years. I was given a great prognosis, and my onc had me do 4 rounds of chemo(cytoxin/taxotere) as well as rads just to be safe. Also, He had me on a very heavy duty steroid to help my body be able to "handle" the chemo a bit better. Now, I am 48 and I don't ever wish to go through chemo again,but, I was able to hobble through with the love, support and trust of all. That was key. It is possible too that you might get another opinion. I think trust in your care and caregivers is so important. Please know that your Mom and you are in my heart and prayers. Keep us posted, okay? xoxo
  • Hubby
    Hubby Member Posts: 325
    #4
    I have heard of it.
    I have heard of low Oncotypes getting chemo, but usually it is more of a choice. Has she gotten a second opinion? It could be the family history that is influencing the oncologist to reccommend chemo. The question is what are the recurrence and survival rates with chemo vs. without. Is chemo giving her an extra 1-2% survival benefit or a 5-6% benefit. At age 66, 1-2% may not be enough incentive for your mother to want to put herself through chemo, but I know a lot of women on this site would do the chemo for any percent.

    Get the second opinion; get more info on the tumor stage. Chemo is scary, but a lot of women in their 60's on this site have done well through it.

    Good Luck

    Bob
  • Chickadee1955
    Chickadee1955 Member Posts: 356 Member
    #5
    Hubby said:

    I have heard of it.
    I have heard of low Oncotypes getting chemo, but usually it is more of a choice. Has she gotten a second opinion? It could be the family history that is influencing the oncologist to reccommend chemo. The question is what are the recurrence and survival rates with chemo vs. without. Is chemo giving her an extra 1-2% survival benefit or a 5-6% benefit. At age 66, 1-2% may not be enough incentive for your mother to want to put herself through chemo, but I know a lot of women on this site would do the chemo for any percent.

    Get the second opinion; get more info on the tumor stage. Chemo is scary, but a lot of women in their 60's on this site have done well through it.

    Good Luck

    Bob

    Dear Dina,
    I had an onco
    Dear Dina,

    I had an onco result of 18 and am scheduled for #3 of 4 cycles of taxotere/cytoxin on Monday. With all the supportive drugs they are using with the chemo, I have had very mild side effects. My number was considered in the 'gray' area, but I opted for chemo to make sure I did everything possible to prevent recurrence later. I am 54 and in excellent health (other than the cancer, of course) and knew I would better off launching an all-out attack on the disease at this stage of life/health than risking a recurrence later when, perhaps, I would not be so strong.

    I was given the choice of whether to do chemo or not. I had the same numbers as your Mom, however you didn't indicate the size or number of her tumor(s); that can also have bearing on whether chemo is recommended.

    Best of luck to you both. Make sure to read some of the posts with suggestions on how to prepare for chemo if your Mom chooses to do it. The most important one I found is to drink TONS OF WATER before, during and after chemo. It flushes the drugs out of your liver/kidneys and helps with the dry/yucky mouth. I am also on the every 3 weeks protocol and I just keep a glass of water with me at all times whether its a 'chemo week' or not. It has helped tremendously.

    Regards,

    Chickadee
  • Snowkitty
    Snowkitty Member Posts: 295
    #6
    Chickadee1955 said:

    Dear Dina,
    I had an onco
    Dear Dina,

    I had an onco result of 18 and am scheduled for #3 of 4 cycles of taxotere/cytoxin on Monday. With all the supportive drugs they are using with the chemo, I have had very mild side effects. My number was considered in the 'gray' area, but I opted for chemo to make sure I did everything possible to prevent recurrence later. I am 54 and in excellent health (other than the cancer, of course) and knew I would better off launching an all-out attack on the disease at this stage of life/health than risking a recurrence later when, perhaps, I would not be so strong.

    I was given the choice of whether to do chemo or not. I had the same numbers as your Mom, however you didn't indicate the size or number of her tumor(s); that can also have bearing on whether chemo is recommended.

    Best of luck to you both. Make sure to read some of the posts with suggestions on how to prepare for chemo if your Mom chooses to do it. The most important one I found is to drink TONS OF WATER before, during and after chemo. It flushes the drugs out of your liver/kidneys and helps with the dry/yucky mouth. I am also on the every 3 weeks protocol and I just keep a glass of water with me at all times whether its a 'chemo week' or not. It has helped tremendously.

    Regards,

    Chickadee

    Your ma is only a couple
    Your ma is only a couple years older than I am. With an onco score of 22, my doctor said that I was too young not to give it everything I could. So I am doing 4 T/Cs.

    The way I figure, for me maybe 2 more out of 100 people will make it without a recurrence. If I'm one of those two people, it is worth it.

    Best of luck

    Cindy
  • GayleMc
    GayleMc Member Posts: 311 Member
    #7
    Snowkitty said:

    Your ma is only a couple
    Your ma is only a couple years older than I am. With an onco score of 22, my doctor said that I was too young not to give it everything I could. So I am doing 4 T/Cs.

    The way I figure, for me maybe 2 more out of 100 people will make it without a recurrence. If I'm one of those two people, it is worth it.

    Best of luck

    Cindy

    I also had an onco/dx score
    I also had an onco/dx score of 22. At age 57, my onc also said I was too young to not give it my all. I had 4 cycles of T/C and fear of the unknown was the worse. I was TERRIFIED!!! I made it and hope to never have to do it again, but it is doable. Please refer to this site for any questions you or your Mom may have. It was soooo helpful to me. All the Best.
  • Dina Wingfield
    Dina Wingfield Member Posts: 2
    #8
    chemo help
    My mom is seeking a second opinion, on the recommendation of the surgeon who did her mastectomy. Her tumor was 17 mm, grade 1, stage 1. I don't have any info on the genetic testing-only that the oncotype was 14. I am glad that she is getting the second opinion, and thankful for every person who commented here. I will definitely find a way to get mom on this site so she can have access to people who are going through the same things she is. THANK YOU-THANK YOU-THANK YOU.
  • GrandmaMir
    GrandmaMir Member Posts: 21 Member
    #9
    My oncotype score was 14
    My oncotype score was 14 too. My tumor was 2 cm, no nodes, clear margins. I will be taking Arimidex after completing four rounds of chemotherapy. My doctor said it was my choice to have or not have chemotherapy. I'm age 72. I'll try the first round. If it seems too difficult for me, I can stop anytime.

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