Chemotherapy 1st and later surgery

Hi there,

I had chemotherapy first and I'm very glad I did. I had triple negative breast cancer with four tumours in my left breast. I had six months of chemotherapy and surgery last week to remove the tissue.

As a result of the chemotherapy, three of my tumours shrank away to nothing. The primary tumour still had islands of invasive cancer cells but I had clear margins.

One of the lymph nodes had evidence of dead cancer cells and the others were clear.

Because I had chemotherapy first I was able to aviod a mastectomy and clearance of my lymph nodes. As a consequence, I still have two matching breasts, no drains to contend with and none of the risks assoicatied with losing all my lymph nodes from under my arm.

Because triple negative is so aggressive and invasive, I was also reasssured knowing that any undetected microscopic tumours would be treated with the chemotherapy, no matter where they were in my body.

I was advised by my surgeon that a mastectomy would not improve my survival chances. Survival rates for those having breast conserving surgery with chemotherapy and radiation are the same. Because of the nature of my cancer I would have needed chemotherapy and radiation in any case, so it was nice to know that saving my breast didn't mean risking my life. 

I've also read a lot of posts from women that say they wish they had just gone with a mastectomy as their first option because they had the cancer return and ultimately needed to have the breast removed, but I think it's worth keeping in mind that even if these women had opted for a mastectomy first up, they may still have had the cancer return in their chest wall, or some other part of their bodies. Although it may seem that having the breast removed would have prevented any breast cancer it's my understanding that this is not the case. 

Know that there are plenty of breast cancer survivors out there that still have their own breasts. Breast conserving surgery is now very common and has much better physical and emotional outcomes. 

My very best wishes to you and your Mum. I'm 52 and I also have a very close relationship with my daughter. Much love to both of you.