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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 473
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Another Year On
I haven't been very active on the site this past year, but pop in now and again to keep up with the celebrations, the disappointments, the discoveries, the friendships, and sadly, sometimes the losses.
Around this time of year is my 'anniversary', so very soon it will be 15 years since I was first diagnosed, and just over eight years since becoming Stage IV. Since my liver resection in May 2014, I've had a good run, but have had just a bit of a set back with one of the original metastatic lung mets becoming active. I've been scanned thoroughly, and this one tumour is the only one to be found in my body, so that was good news. So today I had my first of six SBRT treatments on this solitary tumour. For those who are not aware of SBRT, it's a targeted 4-D radiation delivered directly to the tumour - Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy. I want to keep TDM-1 or any other systemic treatments up my sleeve for as long as I can, so opted for this treatment regime.
I had a biopsy taken of the lung (before it gets blasted!!), and it showed the pathology was the same as the liver met removed last year. Interestingly, my original tumour was ER-, but both the liver and lung tumour were ER+, and very strongly ER+. I continue with Herceptin, and started on Femara after the liver resection last year, but with the discovery I had severe osteoporosis, I had to switch to Tamoxifen. So it seems the Tamoxifen may not be working. I've had another bone density test and hopefully if there is stability compared to the last result, we might try Femara again. I had the annual Aclasta infusion last year, and will be having that again soon.
I'm still very well, still working, travelled to Europe this year, and feel very blessed. I write this to maybe give hope to others who are starting out and feeling overwhelmed. This site has been incredibly important to me - you are all incredible and inspiring.
That's my news!
Cheers Marie
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dx Dec 2000 dcis 2.5cm clear sentinel node, ER/PR- Her-2+
lumpectomy, 6 cycles AC, 6 weeks rads
October 2007 three x 2.5cm lung mets. 8 months Taxol, started Herceptin and continue. Significant reduction in lung mets.
June 2011 3cm x 4cm liver tumour. Started Abraxane and continue with Herceptin.
November 2011. Finished with Abraxane, continue with just Herceptin. Liver tumour now reduced to 15mm x 12mm. Lung tumour now 10mm x 0.5mm
February 2012. Scans show everything stable, and brain scan clear.
July 2012. PET/CT scans show I'm in remission - no active cancer!
]Dec CT brain cllear, lungs stable, liver tumour has increased to 20mm. PET scans showed active liver met and active lung thinglet, and possible bone met.
Jan 2013 recommence Abraxane, continue with Herceptin.
June 2013 finish Cycle 6 Abraxane, continue with Herceptin. 30% reduction in liver tumour, everything stable.
December 2013. CA15-3 on rise.
February 2014. PET and CT scans show single liver tumour has increased to 35mm. No other activity.
March 2014. Planned for SBRT for liver met, but couldn't have treatment as tumour too close to bowel. Continue Herceptin.
April 2014. Surgeon advises that I am a good candidate for liver resection, so will have operation early May (after camping holiday). Tumour now 44mm x 29mm.
May 7, 2014. Two liver tumours surgically removed. Third of liver removed, and gall bladder. Am I NED?May 2014. Pathology of tumour shows it's now ER+ (95% staining).
June 2014. CA15-3 has decreased to 18 from a pre-surgery reading of 59!
June 2014. Started Femara, continue with Herceptin.
July 2014. Stop Femara due to severe Osteoporosis. Commence Tamoxifen, continue Herceptin. Waiting to hear if I can have Aclasta infusion.
August 2014. CA15-3 has decreased further to 12 - YAY!
October 2014. Aclasta infusion for Osteoporosis. November 2014, CA15-3 decreased to 11. Scans of liver all clear, something new showing up on lung, but just watching at the moment.
November 2015. Started SBRT on solitary lung met.
November 2015. Bone density scan showed very good improvement so back on Femara - yay!
December 2016. 6 treatments of SBRT radiation on lung. Seems to have had some effect.
June 2016. CA15-3 still stable and low at 9.
June 2016. Started subcutaneous Herceptin replacing infusion.
Jan 2017. LVEF dropped to 46%. Stopped Herceptin.
Feb 2017. Started ACE Inhibitor and BETA Blocker. Still off Herceptin.
Aug 2017. Two new mets - Portacaval lymph node and mediastinal lymph node.
Aug 2017. Blood tests show extremely elevated liver enzyme levels. Many tests to investigate.
Sept 2017. Portacaval lymph node blocking liver bile duct causing liver enzyme and Bilirubin problems.
Oct 2017. 8cm stent inserted into liver bile duct. Procedure caused pancreatitis, and hospitalised for 3 days. Liver enzymes improving rapidly.
Nov 2017. Commenced 4 weeks of radiation on Portacaval lymph node. 5 week break before chemo.
Jan 2018. CT scan. 11 new small liver mets, and new superclavical lymph node med.
Jan 2018. Start Kadcyla. CA15-3 426.
Apr 2018. First scans since starting Kadcyla. All tumours reducing. CA15-3 dropped to 30 from 426.
Dec 2019. Still on Kadcyla, but two small brain mets have been treated in the past month with SRS. CA15-3 stable for 12 months at 11.
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