Chemotherapy 1st and later surgery

I also had a clip inserted. I'd add a caution about getting too hopeful that chemotherapy alone will get rid of the cancer. It may, but it's more likely to shrink it. 

I had what was considered to be a very good response to chemotherapy. Three of my four tumours were killed offf completely and the remaining tumour looked to be dead. Following surgery I've been told there are pockets of active cancer in the primary tumour and DCIS along side it. This is still a good result, but disappointing because I was hoping for 'full pathological response' and everyone seemed to feel I was on track to get it.

Expectations can be awful when you're dealing with cancer and you really need to just cross each bridge as you come to it. I'm having radiation to 'mop up' any remaining cancer.

When it comes to chemotherapy, the more aggressive your cancer the more effective chemotherapy is likely to be. My cancer is triple negative and grade 3 (the highest and most aggressive) and my tumours doubled inside 3 weeks, so there was a very good chance it would respond well to chemotherapy because it works by killing off cells that reproduce quickly. Slower growning cancers may still respond, but are less likely to do so, or may do so more slowly.

Of course, one of the most frustrating thing about cancer is that it refuses to play by anyone's rules and what works for one person may not work for another. That's why it's so important to take control and make choices that you are happy with.

I found having a clip inserted was a good idea because when the three tumours shrank we could be sure we were in the right area of the breast. The clip was also used by my surgeon to remove the right piece of tissue from my breast. 

Love to both of you.

Meg