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Re: Tykerb/ herception in stage 3a locally advanced patients
I just got news today that my insurance approved my Tykerb!! I was stage IIIC at diagnosis, and since i did chemo before surgery, my fear was they would consider this treatment as adjuvent which put put me at an even earlier stage. All of my worry was for nothing though, because it's been approved! I also found out Friday that my doctor's office never followed up with my insurance after they supposedly requested authorization 3 weeks prior. My insurance company had no record of the request. That means that my onc's office must have re-requested approval on Friday and got approval today. That was fast!
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March 2010: Diagnosed with Stage IIIC IDC with axillary, mammary and suplaclavicular node involvement. ER/PR -, HER2+++. 7cm tumor in right breast.
April 2010: Started neoadjuvent chemo. 4 DD A/C every 2 weeks, 4 DD Taxotere every 3 weeks with Herceptin weekly.
August 2010: Finished chemo!
August 20, 2010: PET/CT showed no cancer in any nodes, and only a little uptake to the breast.
September 9, 2010: Bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction with implants and Alloderm.
September 16, 2010: Pathology report showed 18/51 positive axillary nodes, 3.2cm tumor. Granual sized cancer found in the fatty tissue between levels 1 and 2.
October 19, 2010: CT showed several spots on lungs and 1 spot on liver. Liver spot is 2mm, lung spots range from 2mm to 4mm. We don't know if they are cancer or not.
12/15/10: Brain MRI clear
1/7/11: PET/CT
1/13/11: Recurrence in lungs. Start Tykerb
5/13/11: Progression in lungs
6/3/11: Lung surgery to get tumors for chemosensitivity testing.
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