confusion surrounding types of chemo - AC TC ????

looeeze

Apologies for this being my second post today, but I am recently diagnosed and things are moving so quickly it is a bit overwhelming,
I have been doing a lot of reading in the different discussions about chemotherapy treatments and potential side effects and experiences. I keep seeing the abbreviations AC and TC and others and a google search hasn't helped me understand which my chemo treatment falls into. 
I start my chemo on 3rd Feb and will go once a week for 12 weeks. I will be receiving paclitaxel. I will also be getting Herceptin every 3 weeks for 12 months and Goseralin every 4 weeks for 5 years. 
Can anyone help categorise the chemo drug for me so it helps when I am reading through others' experiences. 
Thank you x

FLClover

Hi @looeeze, first of all, please don’t apologise for posting a second time. You can post as much as you want and need, that’s what this forum is for 👌🏻.
Second of all, I didn’t do chemo but I’ve read quite a bit on it, so I’ll try to help. If I make a mistake I’m sure someone will correct me. From what you’ve written, you won’t be receiving AC, also known as the red devil. That one usually gets administered before paclitaxel. TC is docetaxel, or Taxotere, so doesn’t sound like you’ll be getting that one either. I’m not sure that Herceptin has an abbreviation, or I don’t know it, but it’s given to women who are HER2 positive, which is not that common. Goserelin, or Zoladex brand name, is given once a month to suppress the ovaries. It’s usually given to women who are ER/PR positive, to put them in artificial menopause so they can take an Aromatase Inhibitor for about 5-10 years as an insurance to stop the cancer returning, as hormone therapy post treatment. If you are premenopausal, your onc might also want to give you Goserelin during chemo only, to try and preserve your fertility. It sounds like your cancer is triple positive. 

Hope this helps a little. Hope someone corrects me if I’m wrong. But I did also check Google to try to give you correct info 😆. Good luck! 🍀♥️

Sister

I'm not positive and I'm sure that someone will come in to help but they are not AC or TC - herceptin is an immuno-therapy chemo drug I think and goserelin is also know as zoladex.  I'm guessing you have HER+ cancer from this but I'm afraid my knowledge is patchy.

(TC is docetaxol cyclophosphamide and AC is andriamycin cyclophosphamide)

Mazbeth

Hi @looeeze - post as many times as you like, we are all here for you and to share our experiences. I am not really good at all of this either and I am finished my treatment. @FLClover - you’ve done well with the research, I will add what I can. When they biopsied your tumour they checked it to see what its receptors were and it sounds like yours is Herceptin positive (Her +) and this is why you will be having Herceptin. Is your tumour oestrogen positive (Er +)? Tumours can also be progesterone positive (Pr+). You may have seen that some people are diagnosed as Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) and this means that the tumour does not have any hormone receptors. 
Your oncologist has decided on your treatment based on your tumour’s unique characteristics. Paclitaxel is often shortened to taxol and it is given weekly. Many women have 12x rounds, but many of us also have the 4x AC first and this would be based on each tumour’s characteristics. 
My BC was Er+ and I am now on a ‘hormone blocker’ (AI) to shut down the production of oestrogen which has been proven to be extremely effective in preventing a recurrence. I hope I have helped in some way. Keep posting, we are here to help each other navigate this crapfest.🙂

YellowRobin

Hi @looeeze I found the eviQ website really helpful in understanding my treatment plan
https://www.eviq.org.au/medical-oncology/breast good luck 🌸💕

kezmusc

Hi Lovely @looeeze ,

I had the ACT treatment.  Which is AC  Andriamyicyn-red devil (doxirubicin) and cyclophosomide and then paclitaxel (Taxol) which is the T in the ACT.  Thankfully you lucked out with the AC part...gross. No idea about the herceptin though:)

TonyaM

Hi looeeze,
I like to think of these chemo drugs as KFC combo packs! They just combine 2 chemo infusions to give give maximum impact. So TC is Taxotere (has other names) and Cyclophosphamide.And AC is as @sister said,Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide.Your oncologist decides on which combo and discusses it with you. The side effects are awful for all of them! 

Blossom1961

Hi @looeeze I had the AC ten Paclitaxel then herceptin. Most people fly through the herceptin without any side effects at all. I was one of the rare ones that ended up with quite a few however this is NOT the norm. My first six months of herceptin was a breeze. I even met one lady who had been having herceptin infusions every three weeks for twelve years! She had absolutely NO side effects.

AllyJay

The thing is that the generic word "chemotherapy" is the same as saying antibiotics. Just as there are many different antibiotics, with their branded names as well as their content of the drug names, each used either alone, or in conjunction with others, for different infections, so with "chemo". Breast cancer is not just one specific "catch all" disease. There are many different types generally, and then within each type, there are differences of their aggression in growth. So both are biggish dogs, but a pitbull is more aggressive (mostly) than say, a golden labrador. Then added to that, your oncologist will also take into account your age, other medical conditions and so on in deciding which and it what order, your treatment plan will be.

looeeze

Thank you so much for your responses. It makes me quite emotional to think that you are taking time out of your days to support me. I hope I can help others as you have with me. 

My oncologist was very informative and clear, but you guys have filled in the knowledge gaps that I didn't even know I had until I started reading. I am learning a whole new language and knowing the acronyms makes things so much clearer now. And the website you directed me to https://www.eviq.org.au/medical-oncology/breast was so helpful, thank you.

xxx

Sister

You will learn so much that your head will spin.  Never worry about asking because we're all here to try to give you the benefit of our experience.  One day you will be the one helping someone new.