Chemotherapy 1st and later surgery

Hi Naltas

I am having chemo first, then a lumpectomy, then radiation as recommended by my surgeon. 

The reasoning behind this is to shrink the tumour down so that surgery is less invasive.

I had a pin inserted into the middle of my bc lump before I started chemo because my surgeon said that sometimes the chemo works so well that the cancer disappears completely and they need to know exactly where the cancer was so that they can take out the area in surgery where the cancer cells used to be.

I will be having my fourth AC chemo treatment today. At the last two visits with my oncologist, she examined my bc lump and said that it is definately shrinking and becoming softer.

This makes me feel like I have made the right decision.

Sounds like you are a fantastic support for your mother. My mum travels around Australia every year but is here with me until all my treatment and surgery is over so I am lucky too !!

Lisa xx

I just wanted to say hi:) I think like the other posts,be guided by your oncologist.They have all the results of your Mums tests,and it is never as simple as this versus that.Each case is different,and is treated as such.I have a gorgeous girl like you.She is 23, and right through my treatment she has been there with me."What can I get you Mum,I'll call them Mum,I'll make it Mum,I'll take you Mum......and the list goes on.In this lifetime,I,will never be able to do for her what she has done for me these past few months.You may not realise it,but half the battle is won just as Rosanna said,because of the beautiful girl that you are.Whenever I felt a bit down,during treatment,my daughter was always there,encouraging me gently,and giving me a little push when needed.So just continue to be there with your Mum,and I am sure that whatever treatment she has,after listening to the oncologist,will be the right one for her.Sending a big hug.xoxoxRobyn

These decisions are so difficult to make, you are marvellous for supporting your Mum. I had a different cancer and was offered a mastectomy or lumpectomy. So, not quite the same decision that you have to make. I gathered all the information I could, asked the surgeon what he thought and decided to have a lumpectomy. I wanted to make the decision that would give me the least regrets down the track, hard to know of course, time will tell. I'm happy with what I've done and there are no guarantees with this disease. I am halfway through my chemo and have found it's doable, uncomfortable at times, but doable. Wishing you and your Mum all the best through this process, sending you big hugs,

Hazel xx

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.

 

Hi Naltas, you are such a wonderful and lovely young girl, how I wish I had a girl like you....

I am new to breast cancer anyway, but my belief, your mum won 1/2 of the battle already, because you are so supporting.  Her mood and energy will play a very significant issue for her recovery and future recurance.  May I suggest, if the specialist offer 2 choices, you choose either one and just go for it.

We need to put the trust on them, and especially nowadays technology.  The most that I heard from the Team is : everyone is different, it is true, same size different age, same age different background, same background different culture...etc etc... 

It definitely have hard and tough time for stages to go through, your mum is similar age with me, cheer her up and always stay with her, keep her normal and healthy, make her laugh always...Say hi to her we are all here to share.

Xoxo