Is anyone taking Zoladex injection and Letrozole tablet?

LinLin

hi, I recently been diagnosed stage 4 breast cancer and the cancer cells already spread to several spots in the bones.
The surgeon and oncologist advise that surgery and chemo are not suitable for my case as I'm HER2-, ER+ & PR+
So oncologist gave me the Zoladex injection monthly and Letrozole tablet daily. He said that it might help to control the cancer not to growth or spread any further, but no way to fully cure.
Jut wonder anyone have the similar case as me or having the same treatment? Would this hormonal therapy work? Anyone can share the experience? many thanks

iserbrown

Ann-Marie

@wendy h 67 @pacwood @Cate64 are you able to help LinLin out. @LinLin you may like to join our private group (Living with metastatic breast cancer ). I have also sent you a message.

Cate64

@LinLin I have bone mets, ER/PR+, I am not sure why chemo is not suitable for you as I had AC Chemo x 6 cycles when I was diagnosed stage 4, though surgery was not suitable, your specialists must have their reasons. I had Zoladex injections monthly for 3 months post chemo to shut down my ovaries until they could be removed. 

wendy_h67

Hi LinLin sorry you have joined our group but hopefully we will be able to give you some suppoort along the way. I have stage 4 breast cancer with spread in numerous bones. I was diagnosed 5yrs ago and have had a few different treatments in that time. I have never been on Letrozole but was on a hormone drug called Aromison which worked quite well for me for quite some time. I have not been on zoladex injections either. Everyones treatment plan is different but at least there are many treatments available to keep our cancer stable and be able to get on with , and enjoy life. Hopefully you will find some help and support from the girls in this group

LinLin

hi Cate64,

Are you HER2+? Mine is HER2-, maybe that's why my oncologist get me the hormonal therapy instead of Chemo.
how is your situation now? Cancer cells reduced or gone yet? What is your tumor market level?

LinLin

hi isebrown,

What is your situation now? Is the tumor gone or still remain ther?
What is your tumor marker level now after the 2 years+ Zoladex injection and tablet.
How long did it take before you get the response from this treatment?

LinLin

hi Wendy H 67,

You had gone through this 5 years ago, so you are fully cured? how long did you take to get it cure? Are you still taking Aromison or any treatment now?

wendy_h67

Hi LinLin, I have got through 5 years but my cancer is not cured but is kept stable (no new cancer growth ) . This is because of the different treatments I have been on . At the moment I am on I.V chemo.this is helping to keep my cancer stable and my tumour markers to come down. There are alot of different treatments available which your oncologist will work out which is best for you.  My oncologist tells me to write down any questions I think of or dont understand on a piece of paper so I can ask her at my next visit. I think this is a good idea as sometimes we get anxious when visiting the doctor and forget to ask about thing we need to know . Wishing you all the best.

iserbrown

Cate64

@LinLin I am HER2-. My February scans were all good, showed bone healing not activity. My tumor markers were on the rise so my treatment has changed from hormonal therapy to oral chemo for now. There is no cure for metastatic cancer, its treatable but not curable.

LinLin

hi iserbrown,

Do you mean 4 more Zoladex then stop? Your oncologist allow you to stop? My oncologist told me that I can never stop it until it doesn't work anymore.
What is your tumor marker score now (below 38?). Mine is 665 at the moment, is this very high?
I got total of 7 tumors on both side and left under arm, the biggest one is 4.5cm on left side, the rest are on 1cm.
How are your tumors? All gone now or what is the size?
Hope you have a good results in your next monitoring.

LinLin

hi wendy h 67,

How come the chemo can't kill the cancer? Too mild or low dosage? Why can't they give you more to help kill the tumar? Since you are taking chemo, you get all those chemo side effect anyway.
What is your tumor size and tumor market score now?

iserbrown

Oh Lin Lin my heart goes out to you as you grapple with your diagnosis and treatment plan. Do you have a breast care nurse?

I think you are comparing all of us against yourself and getting very confused. We all have the same diagnosis however our treatment plans are unique.  We all present differently during our treatment, readings can vary.

Wishing you all the best and hopefully the treatment will shrink the tumours. 

Take care xx

Zoffiel

Lin Lin. My understanding of Zoladex is that it shuts down your production of hormones. You need to be menopausal to take the aromatase inhibitors-- such as Letrazole -- which is why some women have the Zolodex implants at the same time.

 In theory, once you have reached full menopause you don't need the Zolodex anymore which is why some older ladies only have to have it for a while then they can stop. That's because their bodies have reached the stage they have naturally stopped producing most hormones.

I am 53 and was perimenopausal (still having the occasional period) and I decided to have my ovaries removed. I did this for two reasons, to cut the risk of ovarian cancer and to complete my menopause so I wouldn't need Zolodex while taking Letrazole.

You also produce and store some hormones in your body fat. Some ladies still have higher levels even after menopause or having their ovaries removed so still might have to have Zolodex for a couple of years.

 It's all a bit complicated and there seem to be different reasons for different ladies. It will become a bit clearer for you as time passes and you learn more about your disease and treatments. Keep asking your oncologist questions.

pacwood

Hi @LinLin . I have been having zoladex implants for the past 9 months. Iam also having chemo therapy though. Your specialist team my treat you with hormonal therapy first. Did they give specific reasons for not using chemo therapy just now? The hormone therapy may be used to keep your tumors under control. xx christie.