[harrie]

Whoa Girl!! You sound like you are on the same roller coaster ride that I was on!! I was right there 6 months ago where you are right now....Like: bad news (malignancy), good news (small invasion), bad news (what they recommend chemo???), ....know what I mean? The bottom line of the good news that I kept telling myself is that if it were not for the fact that our diagnosis showed such a small invasion, it leaves me with more choice in the matter. Another thing is either option is a win-win situation (to do or not do chemo).
Regarding the Oncotype Dx, mine was mostly DCIS with a 6mm invasion. Mine was considered a good candidate for the Oncotype testing according to my oncolgist.
I know it would not have been a bad idea to forgo chemo. I know that doing chemo cuts my relatively low recurrance score down a bit more. So I decided to do the TCH. I stopped my Arimidex, did my 6 txs of TCH, and now I resumed my Arimedex and am doing herceptin alone.
I had my surgery mid November, 2006, and I began my TCH end of January. In between that time I was on that same roller coaster ride that you are on. I flew from Hawaii back up to CA for a consultation with Dr. Pegram at UCLA regarding the recommendation for chemo since he was the expert with the HER2. My meeting with Dr. Pegram is what gave me helped me make my decision.
I feel good about my decision. I did the chemo. I feel great.
Maryanne (harrie)