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What is being offered to you is not "chemo lite". Its the biggest guns for early stage I and II bc. AND if you end up with the Herceptin youre adding the nukes. Chemo every 2 weeks in dose dense is proven more effective than every 3 weeks. the one good thing about HER2 is that it is greatly affected by chemo. Comparing cocktails can drive you crazy.
I was on dose dense 4AC + 4T without the benefit of Herceptin (my tumor was just shy a few mm to qualify for the trial). I hunted for an oncologist that would give me Herceptin for nearly 2 months. Did not find ONE that would give it off trial for my early stage cancer. Not enough data to support it. I almost wish that my tumor was a bit larger so I could get the Herceptin. In the end, all the drugs are entirely different on every body. All we have are statistics for encouragement. Joining a trial is a good thing. You get "the latest" with at least an extra benefit (in your case, hopefully Herceptin) that many of us do not qualify for.
I think that if we felt that taking radiation to our entire body would kill every single cancer cell that may be lurking about, we would probably do it. I understand your desire to get what you think is the most aggressive treatment possible. We all want that too. I finally got 4 opinions and 3 concurred with dose dense.
When in doubt, go to a breast specialty oncology center where there are "tumor boards" that review your histology. More heads are better than one. May the force be with you!
mts
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