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Old 12-21-2017, 09:03 PM   #13
Becky
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Stockton, NJ
Posts: 4,179
Re: Pathological complete response

Your doctors are recommending radiation but you're not sure. Why are they recommending it? Then get a second opinion and see what they say. If they recommend it too, and for the same reasons, you have to take that information seriously. And if they don't recommend it, you can discuss the reasons your current team is saying yes to rads. You will need to ask the opinion doctor what they need to see. Definitely your pathology report and surgical report. Ask your breast surgeon too. Maybe you don't know, but your clear margins might be close margins. Also, chemo is given in case there are some escapees from the prison (tumor). Radiation is for local control because chemo might not get to where it needs to go because surgery disrupts the circulation - things are cut and chemo can't get there. Rads solve that problem. So chemo helps prevent distant recurrence but rads prevent local recurrence. I hope this helps. So many decisions and not fun ones
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Becky

Found lump via BSE
Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45
1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side)
2 micromets to sentinel node
Stage 2A
left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg
lumpectomies 9/7/04
4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol
Used Leukine instead of Neulasta
35 rads on right side only
4/05 started Tamoxifen
Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to
trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations
Oophorectomy 8/05
Started Arimidex 9/05
Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06
Arimidex Only
Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia

NED 18 years!

Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"
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