Chemo before surgery - anyone do this?

[StephN]

Hello everyone -

There were a number of "practice changing" studies presented at San Antonio this year. One had to do with the narrowing of which patients are suitable for this route over the normal surgery then chemo/other treatment.

Perhaps some patients with small tumors will not ever need surgery.

There was also a paper presented on whether it is necessary to resect the axilla. There is a subset of patients who seem to get along well without having that done. They certainly will avoid having lymphedema.

So, some good information was presented which will improve the quality of life in terms of after effects being reduced.

This is all heading in the direction of personalizing the entire treatment experience.

[BonnieR]

I remember a million years ago when I was in nursing school. It seemed like there was CANCER. Period. Just in different locations. I know that is simplyfing it, but not by much. How times have changed!
Keep the faith, for sure!

[choyces]

Yes. I had chemo, herceptin, and tykerb. I am in remission and there is not talk of surgery at this time. I metastasized and though I had tumors in the right breast there seems to be no clear benefit of surgery for me at this time. We will see what continued herceptin and the vaccine do.

[ElaineM]

I think some cancer centers prescribe chemo before surgery to reduce the size of the tumor and make it easier for surgeons to get "clear margins". Chemo and radiation are also offered to the patients after surgery to "mop up" any cells that are wandering around looking for places to make trouble.

[michka]

Hi Steph. I had chemo before surgery and then radiation. What I was told is that it made no difference in what order you did it and that the advantage was going to be to save my breast. The tumor was 3cm. In the end the tumor only shrank to 2 cm after FEC and did not move during the 12 weeks of Taxol+Herceptin. So I had a mastectomy. The only advantage was to be able to see that Taxol+Herceptin did not work.The oncs had nothing else to offer then since I had no metastasis at the time. But for me it was a disaster. I had postponed the mastectomy by 6 months which I believed was bad because chemo did not really work. And I knew chemo did not go after the bad cells in my body. In the end the metastasis came out 4 years later.
My advice is to have the tumor out fast and then do chemo.

[Catherine]

My surgeon recommend chemo first and my oncolgist went with it and it worked for me. I am 5.5 years out from DX and NED. So far so good.

Started with 4 rounds of AC...multifocal tumors shrunk after the first treatment if I recall correctly. Also, 3 palpable lymphs shrunk. Tumors were close to chest wall.

Then came 4 rounds of Taxol

One month later bilateral mast (I was told I had to have one, I chose to do both) Also 13 plus lymphs removed

after surgery 33 or so rads and then on to one year of Herceptin.

Original DX IIb, er-pr-and HER2+++

[MCS]

Yes. Two friends with a large tumor had chemo and then surgery

[schoolteacher]

Stephanie,
I also had chemo and herceptin before surgery. I had two treatments of Adriamycin, and the two treatments did not do anything to my cancer. After the frist treatment of Taxol and Herceptin, I could feel my tumors shrinking. I had the treatments on Thursday and by Friday, I could feel the medicine working.

Amelia

[pmm10414]

Me too! My breast surgeon told me that would be the case. By time I had surgery they could not find any cancer at all when they did the pathology exam of the breast. Three year and still NED.

[NEDenise]

Lucky me! I had surgery before AND after chemo!

I first had a lumpectomy...but the surgeon did not get clear margins. What I didn't know at the time was...The tumors were FAR too large, and spread apart, to ever have been removed that way!
My breast was ridiculously misshapen when she was done! (Picture a bruised and lopsided orange that should have been thrown out two weeks ago...minus the greenish fuzz) And, she also left me with a massive infection, cellulitis, lymphedema and a 500mL seroma!
Oh, and her parting gift to me was a 'pep talk' about the pathology report that convinced me beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I'd be dead by year's end.

What a way to embark on this journey!

Then I wised up, and went to a "real" cancer center, which is only an hour away...shame on me for being lazy!!...had chemo...followed by the bilateral mastectomy I should have had originally...complete with reconstruction, and a pathology report that said NED! The plastic surgeon even cleaned up the messy scars the first hack left.

Live and learn?

Water under the bridge?

All's well that ends well?

Maybe a little bit of each! At any rate...Radiation will be complete in 5 days...then Christmas...a nice vacation...and the start of a happy, and healthy 2012.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
Denise

[pmm10414]

Yeah! I know we would probably change things if we could with our treatment. In the beginning I recollect being in such a fog I just went with doctor's recommendation t the tumor board. In the end, I know you must happy to be done with treatment. Happy holidays!!!!

[dawny]

I too had Abraxane and Herceptin to shrink the beast, after 3 weeks it disappeared. I am stage 1V from get go, and won't be having surgery (at this time anyway). NED as of sept 2011.
Dawn

[dawny]

Hi Mollecat
Yes, I do have some strange feelings in the breast, it was sharp shooting pains, but now is more just achy. Where does the "clogged kitchen sink" come from!?. When my onc suggested no surgery, I was very concerned, but now I am ok with it (after getting a second opinion) Good luck

Dawn

[dawny]

Mollecat - I have sent u a private message

Dawn

[pmm10414]

Someone at my support group told mesh did not have surgery. That thought scared me. My pain comes from nerves being severed Iam sure during surgery.