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02-03-2007, 01:37 AM

Rnaina,

Have you used Adjuvant Online to check your prognosis. It's the program my oncologist and others use to provide prognosis statistics. It's available to lay people as well. Website is:

www.adjuvantonline.com/messages.jsp

Yes, it's true that negative ER is not as good as positive ER but the difference, at least for me, is not great enough to worry about,and our cases are similar. For example, I am Stage 1a, Grade 2, No nodes, HER2 positive, ER/PR negative. The ten year breast cancer mortality rate for someone of my age (65) in average health, with ER negative disease is 4.8 and for the same person with ER positive disease is 2.8. The ten year prediction of dying from something other than cancer is 12.3 and if I had ER positive disease, 12.5. You can also use the site to check out relapse rates--even less of a difference between ER positive and negative.

The good news (or bad news, depending on your state of mind) is that the site does not allow for HER2 positive disease, but since ER negative is so often coincident with HER2 positive disease, it does to some extent. And it also does not take into account (and this is the really good news) the benefit from herceptin. Hopefully, it will do so soon. The site provides lots of information on how the statistics are arrived at. I find it comforting, strangely, that according to this site, my chances of dying from other causes in ten years is much greater than my chances of dying from breast cancer.

With respect to your other concern, don't forget you had 34 radiation treatments, which can and do have an adverse effect on your skin. So it may just be a reaction to the radiation and probably is. I'm still healing from my radiation treatment.

Last but not least. Every day something new comes out. Right before I read your email, I was reading an article on some work done at a cancer clinic in Florida, which in a few years should yield some positive results for making cancer treatments more effective. So enjoy tomorrow's super bowl and another ten years of super bowls, and beyond.

02-03-2007, 01:37 AM	#4
Grace Guest Posts: n/a	Adjuvant Online Rnaina, Have you used Adjuvant Online to check your prognosis. It's the program my oncologist and others use to provide prognosis statistics. It's available to lay people as well. Website is: www.adjuvantonline.com/messages.jsp Yes, it's true that negative ER is not as good as positive ER but the difference, at least for me, is not great enough to worry about,and our cases are similar. For example, I am Stage 1a, Grade 2, No nodes, HER2 positive, ER/PR negative. The ten year breast cancer mortality rate for someone of my age (65) in average health, with ER negative disease is 4.8 and for the same person with ER positive disease is 2.8. The ten year prediction of dying from something other than cancer is 12.3 and if I had ER positive disease, 12.5. You can also use the site to check out relapse rates--even less of a difference between ER positive and negative. The good news (or bad news, depending on your state of mind) is that the site does not allow for HER2 positive disease, but since ER negative is so often coincident with HER2 positive disease, it does to some extent. And it also does not take into account (and this is the really good news) the benefit from herceptin. Hopefully, it will do so soon. The site provides lots of information on how the statistics are arrived at. I find it comforting, strangely, that according to this site, my chances of dying from other causes in ten years is much greater than my chances of dying from breast cancer. With respect to your other concern, don't forget you had 34 radiation treatments, which can and do have an adverse effect on your skin. So it may just be a reaction to the radiation and probably is. I'm still healing from my radiation treatment. Last but not least. Every day something new comes out. Right before I read your email, I was reading an article on some work done at a cancer clinic in Florida, which in a few years should yield some positive results for making cancer treatments more effective. So enjoy tomorrow's super bowl and another ten years of super bowls, and beyond.