To have chemo or not

I was a grade 3 stage 1 and k67 score 58% I was terrified of having chemo I ended up paying $5000 for oncotype tests and thank God it came back I don't need it.
Next radiation and dreading hormone tablet.

My Oncologist explained things very well.
I believe he gave me percentages for surgery alone, and the increases with Chemo, R/T. And Aromatase Inhibitors.
I never considered no Chemo. I wanted my best chances.
I did not find my treatments too difficult.
Everyone is different, with how they cope with treatment.
I was more scared of cancer than the treatments. My BC was Stage 2, and grade 3, which means fast growing.
I consider myself lucky that I found it when I did.

Hi my oncologist advised me chemo would be barely worthwhile as I had eR positive lobular cancer not in my lymph nodes and very slow growing grade 2.
She said that hormone therapy was extremely important for at least 5 years so I am concentrating on following that recommendation.
Everyone is different and your medical team will make recommendations on your unique circumstances .
Some people don’t have bad side effects from chemo and some do - the choice whether to follow the medical advice is yours but I know if I got a recurrence and I hadn’t done everything I could to not get that I’d be upset with myself.
Take care 🌺

I’ve met a few people through the days I was nursing and on this journey with my mother who chose to say no to chemo, and with my mother she had surgery first and then with the oncologist discussed her fears about chemo in depth including being told that some women chose not to have chemo, some started and withdrew from chemo, and others went ahead with it. My mother chose to go ahead but was reassured she could withdraw at any time and told me she felt the manner of the doctor was supportive so she didn’t feel pressured, and further felt reassured that the dr understood and wouldn’t judge if she decided to say no or doesn’t do the full chemo. 

Dear @Kaylia

I agree with many of the points that @Cath62 has made. ‘Choice’ can be a difficult concept in cancer treatment - none of us chose to have cancer, and few if any would choose some treatments if they felt they had a better alternative. Like many I dreaded being recommended to have chemo. But I dreaded my cancer more! And as it turned out, I had a pretty good run with chemo, for six months, nowhere near as bad as I imagined. Some help in coping with your fear, which many have known and completely understand, would be helpful. If you have had a bad reaction after round one, talk to your oncologist, there may well be ways of alleviating the reaction. Going through cancer treatment isn’t easy. Which is why you only want to have to do
it once. Best wishes. 

Hello @Kaylia, so sorry you find yourself here. It's all so overwhelming especially at the start of the breast cancer journey. So many new terms to understand like the pathology results, treatment options or recommendations etc. It is stressful and definitely can create anxiety.

I did have surgery chemo, radium and now I am on Letrozole. I was diagnosed with breast in 2020. My breast cancer was ER/PR positive and Her2 negative but my ki67 was very high indicating a very high rate of return hence my oncologist recommending chemo for me. I didn't have any lymph involvement but my cancer cells were grade 3 which isn't good really.

While I can help you with your decision I guess I wondered what your treating doctor has advised regarding chemo? What is your greatest fear with chemo? I also wondered if your doctor has offered talking to a counsellor to help with the anxiety side of all this? I am not trying to convince to to have chemo but just wondering what happened to make you so fearful or anxious about it.

I think there others who have not chosen to go ahead with chemo so maybe someone will respond.

 I did know a lady who didn't finish their chemo treatment. I think they were to have 4 sessions and only had 3. She also didn't finish her radium. She is ok but she did get breast cancer again 10yrs after the first one and had to go through the entire treatment again. She is still doing ok 10 yrs after the second breast cancer. 

No one ever wants to go through treatment but we do and get through whatever we decide to have to get rid of the breast cancer. I would encourage you to speak with your oncologist or breast care nurse or counsellor about your fears and talk about your choices, options benefits and risks so you can make an informed decision that you are confident with. Best wishes 💐