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dawngirl's avatar
dawngirl
Member
13 years ago

To chemo, or not to chemo, that is the question

So it has come to this. 

A raging debate in my head as to whether it is worth undergoing chemo for an "at best" 2-3 per cent statistical reduction in risk of recurrence.

I waited a ridiculously long five weeks to see an oncologist post my surgery (right mastectomy for a 3,5cm tumour invasive IDC and non invasive DCIS), grade 2, 90 %ER+, 90%PR+, HER2-, very low proliferation rate of 5 per cent, no node involvement (three removed and tested during sentinal node biopsy).

Crammed into the end of a week where she had seen 50 patients, her eyes were hanging out of her head, she was in auto mode (including obviously taking me through some questions for research reasons without actually telling me that is what she was doing) and I was left with more questions than I'd entered with..and instructions to let her know of my decison re chemo by Monday (christmas eve), or tomorrow,  at the absolute latest.

Oh Merry Christmas to me.

Presented with the stats that if I add Tamoxifen to my mastectomy,  there is 15 per cent chance recurrence at 10 year mark, or if I add chemo, this will fall to 12-13 per cent.

Apparantly I am in a "grey area" -- not clear cut if there will be any benefit from chemo, with most of my benefit to come from hormone treatment (which is great).

I want to do everything to avoid this coming back. I'm 47. Plans for left mastectomy underway for later this year/early next year when I do reconstruction.

I know this is a very personal decision for all of us....but would love to hear from any women out there who have had to wrestle with a similar situation.

I left messages for my oncologist shortly after leaving her rooms with a question I had forgotten to ask...and she did not get back to me...either on the day.,..or the following Monday. I am going to do all I can to try and speak to another oncologist tomorrow (I can dream!)...but your feedback and experiences would be be invaluable.

Grateful this site is here...even though I wish I was indulging in my traditional read of a new novel on Boxing Day, instead of researching cancer, proognosis and treatments on line instead!

 

Hope everyone is having a peaceful day, whatever stage of the journey they find themselves on.

 

x

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  • TonyaM's avatar
    TonyaM
    Member
    13 years ago

    I hear your dilemma.Sometimes you are in a grey area and the oncologists don't always have a definite answer.They sprout statistics and leave it up to you.From my experience(twice on the bc ride) when more than one doctor is saying you MUST have chemo then you probably need it and should have it. I had a lumpectomy,full node clearance(all clear) and radiation back in 2003. My pathology was almost identical to yours and bc size was 2cm. I didn't have chemo and I didn't follow through with Tamoxifen.I was 47yrs old and it soooo didn't agree with me -I tried for 3 months.Well 7 years later bc came back in the exact same spot-grew to 3cms in a year-same pathology.I had to have a mastectomy and then strongly advised to have chemo.I was reluctant but went ahead.I think I must have had an elephant's dose of Taxotere because I ended up in isolation ward with no white cells and on an iv drip for 4 days.Now some women breeze through chemo and some of us don't. When my oncologist visited me in hospital ,I told him I wanted to stop chemo.Surprisingly,he was ok with that so long as I took Tamoxifen which he said,would be more beneficial to me anyway!.If I had a crystal ball,I would go back to 2003 and have a mastectomy and take Tamoxifen no matter what.I could then have choice in  reconstruction and would have missed chemo.I have a girlfriend with similar bc pathology as me and also diagnosed in 2003-same surgeon and onc.She had a mastectomy,full node clearance and then took Tamoxifen for 5 years.She is now 10yrs on and fine,healthy as! This is just my personal story and ultimately,you will have to go with what feels best for you.Sometimes it feels like you are dammed if you do and dammed if you don't. Good luck with what is the hardest decision on this awful ride.

                                       Tonya xx