Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Hey Loopy! I was also diagnosed at stage 3 tnbc. I had 6 chemo treatments including adriamycin, taxotere, and cyto? something or another..followed by 33 radiation treatments. This May 3rd will be my one year mark Praise the Lord! Anyway, I don't understand what the doctor meant? I wonder if he was trying to explain that there is no preventative treatments after chemo and radiation? All other breast cancers have medication that can be taken after treatment to help with prevention from coming back, but triple negative isn't one of them. The reason they don't have any preventative meds after initial treatment is because they're not sure what makes it grow. I am curious as to why your Mother had a lumpectomy rather than a mastectomy? I had thought it was in our best interest to go ahead and remove the entire breast? Sending prayers for her, and tell her to stay strong! Take care and hope all goes quickly

Tam

I too was diagnosed with TNBC stage 2. Had a radical mastectomy on October 2013... Occurrence now (malignant tumor inside the mastectomy site).  Am facing chemo and radiation therapy.  My question is why is she just having only 6 treatment?  I was on chemo from January 2014 thru June 31st... Twice a week.  Maybe its the medication... I don't know.  Good thing is that chemo works well on TNBC patients.  We've all had tx's and am glad i'm still here to talk about it. I wish you and your mom well.

Mary

Recently diagnosed with TNBC, large tumor.  Surgeon remommending total mutilation and "iffy" about reconstruction.  Cannot face life like that.  Any hope out there for reconstruction?  Everything I have read looks pretty bleak for prognosis. with TNBC.

peacegypsy said:

Recently diagnosed with TNBC, large tumor.  Surgeon remommending total mutilation and "iffy" about reconstruction.  Cannot face life like that.  Any hope out there for reconstruction?  Everything I have read looks pretty bleak for prognosis. with TNBC.

PeaceGypsy. So sorry you are here. TNBC is scary yes. But there is a light at the end. Unless you have other factors that prevent reconstruction absolutely can be done. If your surgeon is telling you this go to another. No reason for TNBC to prevent reconstruction.  I did it. 2 yrs out now from chemo, bilateral mastectomies, radiation and reconstruction with implants.  all is good for me now. I was stage 1 bilateral BC. Hormone positive ILC on left and TN IDC on right. Having reconstruction was never a questionable procedure.  And I never considered not doing it. 

I'm sorry for what you and your mother are going through, it's not easy at any stage of cancer.  I was diagnosed Stage 2A TN, received 4 doses of AC and 4 doses of Taxol over 4 months, and had a mastectomy (no radiation because it wasn't in my lymph nodes). I was in remission for less than a year when we found it had spread to my liver and is now Stage 4.  You should know that triple negative grade 3 is a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer with a higher recurrence rate than other breast cancers. If you have any doubts about the treatment being recommended by the doctor, I urge you to get second or third opinions, especially from a cancer center. But keep in mind that people receive different chemo drugs at different doses and for different lengths of time because everyone's cancer is a little different, but also because people of different ages tolerate drugs differently and because new research is always coming out.  If someone received chemo twice/week it was probably a low dose each time and if they're getting it once every 3 weeks it's probably a higher dose.  Both treatment plans may be equally effective so don't waste your time worrying about whether your mom's plan exactly matches other people's. Both doctors and patients have to decide the line between quality of life and risks of more/less treatment.

A recurrence in the breast is potentially curable, but once breast cancer has spread to another part of the body, it is Stage 4 and incurable.  It has to do with the way the cancer grows in other parts of the body.  It often doesn't grow in one solid tumor, but instead grows a tiny bit, spreads, then grows a tiny bit and spreads and by the time it's large enough to show up on a scan, there are dozens or hundreds of tiny tumors spread out. Because scans can't see individual cells, there is no way for surgery to detect and remove every single cancer cell. Stage 4 is also incurable because treatment is indefinite, and the cancer will eventually become resistant to each drug treating it.  I don't want to terrify you because your mother is not Stage 4 and she still has a very good prognosis so there is reason to be positive! But I feel it's good to know the seriousness of Stage 4 and it's implications before deciding on treatment. My doctors didn't tell me and I was angry I had to find out from websites. Good luck!

grammy4 said:

Stage 1B Triple Negative

In 2011 two things happened.  My brother died from gliablastoma and I injured my back.  It took two years for disability to kick in and I missed my mammo in 2012.   Then Hurricane Sandy hit us and wrecked my daughter's and my house.  We were lucky because with all the mayhem, my ex-Joe, was there for us.  Then he started getting so thin.  One day he was visiting and I looked out the window and said, Joe, something's not right.  Something's wrong with me. He laughed it off.  Said oh, you'll outlive us all.  I think it was a month later, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in his bones.  When I complained about my back he was like, yeah yeah.  Mine hurts too.  Under my right breast I had this huge itch.  When in the shower, I dug deeper, I found a lump. Running without insurance I had to settle for NUMC, not the best.  Most doctors cut me off, as Medicare had not kicked in yet.  I was put on a state funded plan for two months.  Very important for women without insurance.  THERE ARE OPTIONS.  NEVER LET IT GO.  At his funeral, knowing I had cancer too, I looked at our kids.  How they survived it is a testimony of how we raised them.  Two parents with cancer.. one dead.. one to begin treatment in a week.  And I'm triple negative.. Now I have four grandkids and soon to be five years out.  I wish Joe was here to see them.  Its a scary diagnosis and we never know the future.  I have so many of the skin issues: can't take the sun anymore or sweat.  I had hand and foot syndrome:  the only thing that made me crying during the whole dilema.  The treatment was very aggressive but it's over and forgotten. 

 

Thanks for sharing your story.  EventhPugh there is some sadness, you shared that there is hope! It’s good to share your positive outcomes.  I’m a little over a year cancer free of tnbc!!!! Thanks again for sharing!!!!!

I was diagnosed with stage 2b triple neg in March, just finished TC chemo last week (every three weeks for three months, four total).  It appears to have shrunk the tumor, and I'll have a scan and a lumpectomy in the next couple of weeks.  The chemo was tolerable (major fatigue, some aches and pains, other managemable side effects); hopefully if there were any traces in my body, the chemo got it.  Hair loss is the most noticeable; my major fear was nausea/vomiting but never came to pass.  I worked through most of it (teleworking was a godsend).  My surgeon told me no one dies of breast cancer anymore; as long as it doesn't spread, i think he meant, it's surviveable.  Everyone responds differently to chemo, but any time i had a symptom, I called the oncologist, and she always had something to recommend.  Really important that she likes and trusts her medical team, and advocates for herself (or you help with that).  Hang in there, good luck to your mom.