need your thoughts re; tx plan

[mimiflower07]

hi everyone.
back from first meeting with onc. discussed my pathology and offered 2 possible plans. onc feels because no nodes involved, no vascular involvment seen with clr margins that i will mostly likely not need radiation(had bilateral mast)
two chemo plans for me to decided for myself. first one is Epirubicin and cyclophamide 4 cycles every 3 wks

second offer.more aggressive CEF..cyclophosphamide, Epirubicin and Fluorouracil 6 cycles.

with herceptin, tomoxifen(may change that drug with ooph).

He shared his thoughts but said it really is a personnel choice. If i take the aggressive route he believes its maybe 2-3% better at lowering recurrence then standard chemo(first plan)
with side effects and all not sure what to think.
anyone familiar with these combos..? Just looking for insight. I am from Canada, wondering if anyone else fr canada has some knowledge.

suzanne. thanks

[caya]

Hi Suzanne,

I am being treated at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. I told my onc. I wanted the strongest chemo combo there is for the beast, and I did FEC (3 rounds), then Taxotere (3 rounds). This FEC-T combo is very commonly used in Canada, Britain and other commonwealth countries. Ask your onc. about getting either Taxotere or Taxol, the taxanes are very important in treating Her2 +, even with clear nodes etc. (I also had clear nodes, no vascular invasion, did not need radiation etc.) I wanted the most aggressive treatment to know that I had done all I could to avoid recurrence. After a month's break I started Herceptin, going every 3 weeks until next May. I am also now on Tamoxifen.

Chemo is not fun, but very doable. I took all the anti nauseant pills regularly and I can say that although I was nauseous and weak, I never threw up. I used Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash religiously, so I did not get mouth sores. I did have those sores "down below" but my onc. prescribed a cream for these and they cleared up. I had a few bladder infections, but I have always been prone to these, again I got medication and everything was fine. I had some swelling from the steriods, but it all was manageable. All in all I think I did pretty well - extreme fatigue was my main side effect (apart from losing my hair of course).

Good luck.

all the best
caya

[mimiflower07]

caya..thank you from the bottom of my heart! i feel so confused about it all.On one hand the onc was so optimistic yet i know now what her2 pos means. my ca was multi focal in rt br, extensive. then i wonder if he is just wants to give me hope or does he truly believe what he is saying, about how great herceptin is. thankyou for your words, i will move forward with these thoughts. let you know what happens. I've got a couple days to think about it.
suzanne(i wish yoou...well.let )

[~Bellydancer~]

I am thinking of you Mimiflower. Call me when you are ready to talk. I will be strong for you and I promise not to freak out. I am still in the ignorant stage as I still know nothing. Hang tough kiddo, we will get thru this.
Luv Ya!

[Becky]

TCH (Taxotere, carboplatin and Herceptin) 6 cycles every 3 weeks with Herceptin out to a year or

caya's suggestion or CET (taxol instead of fluro). Taxanes are a key ingredient in fighting Her2+ bc. Taxotere, Taxol and Abraxane are taxanes.

[caya]

Suzanne,

You are more than welcome. I know how you feel, as I was in this stage of not knowing anything,being very afraid etc.,exactly one year ago. Your onc. has every reason to be optimistic - Herceptin is rewriting the stats on Her2, especially since we early stagers are getting it right from the get go.

My onc. has give me a 'well over 90% cure rate" - and believe me, he is one of the top breast oncs in Canada, and he would not use those words lightly.

Good luck, keep us posted.

all the best
caya