HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - getting bone marrow tests at the time of surgery, after adjuvant treatment MAY ALLOW

Chelee · 03-19-2011, 10:01 PM

After all I've been through the last 5 yrs, I would gladly volunteer for a trial like this. To be able to determine if your trt worked right away would be so valuable...it's awful to do chemo and not know if it's worked or not? I think this would be another great tool to use & it's way over due.

Lani, you said you have been trying to find out why bone marrow sampling isn't been done more frequently? Onc's can tell you it's the patients...but I feel it's the other way around. My 1st baseline PET showed activity in both femurs and it was highly recommended that metastasis be ruled out. I asked my onc for a bone biopsy at the time and she told me that I did not want to do that because they are so painful! She told me I'd be on crutches for wks after having it done. She scared me out of doing it. It's probably the cost of doing bone biopsies, and bone marrow aspirates that stops them? I can't help but think that plays a big part in it? Even though in the long run it could save lots of money by finding out which chemo's worked for us.

I went to see another onc not long ago due to increased uptake on my ilium & he ordered a bone biopsy. (Something my onc would of never done.) I had a bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration to my left iliac crest. I was not looking forward to it but it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I just felt some pushing and pulling...some banging. lol Then they run you in and out of the CT several times to make sure they pinpoint the right spot for the sample. But all in all it wasn't that bad. I have scoliosis..so laying on the table for 45 minutes was the worse part for me. It was well worth it after I read the report that came from those samples. My left femur area was a little sore for about a wk afterwards but it wasn't that bad. So I would definitely do it again knowing the benefits from the biopsy. We need tools like this.

Chelee

03-19-2011, 10:01 PM	#2
Chelee Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 2,511	Re: getting bone marrow tests at the time of surgery, after adjuvant treatment MAY AL After all I've been through the last 5 yrs, I would gladly volunteer for a trial like this. To be able to determine if your trt worked right away would be so valuable...it's awful to do chemo and not know if it's worked or not? I think this would be another great tool to use & it's way over due. Lani, you said you have been trying to find out why bone marrow sampling isn't been done more frequently? Onc's can tell you it's the patients...but I feel it's the other way around. My 1st baseline PET showed activity in both femurs and it was highly recommended that metastasis be ruled out. I asked my onc for a bone biopsy at the time and she told me that I did not want to do that because they are so painful! She told me I'd be on crutches for wks after having it done. She scared me out of doing it. It's probably the cost of doing bone biopsies, and bone marrow aspirates that stops them? I can't help but think that plays a big part in it? Even though in the long run it could save lots of money by finding out which chemo's worked for us. I went to see another onc not long ago due to increased uptake on my ilium & he ordered a bone biopsy. (Something my onc would of never done.) I had a bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration to my left iliac crest. I was not looking forward to it but it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I just felt some pushing and pulling...some banging. lol Then they run you in and out of the CT several times to make sure they pinpoint the right spot for the sample. But all in all it wasn't that bad. I have scoliosis..so laying on the table for 45 minutes was the worse part for me. It was well worth it after I read the report that came from those samples. My left femur area was a little sore for about a wk afterwards but it wasn't that bad. So I would definitely do it again knowing the benefits from the biopsy. We need tools like this. Chelee __________________ DX: 12-20-05 - Stage IIIA, Her2/Neu, 3+++,Er & Pr weakly positive, 5 of 16 pos nodes. Rt. MRM on 1-3-06 -- No Rads due to compromised lungs. Chemo started 2-7-06 -- TCH - - Finished 6-12-06 Finished yr of wkly herceptin 3-19-07 3-15-07 Lt side prophylactic simple mastectomy. -- Ooph 4-05-07 9-21-09 PET/CT "Recurrence" to Rt. axllia, Rt. femur, ilium. Possible Sacrum & liver? Now stage IV. 9-28-09 Loading dose of Herceptin & started Zometa 9-29-09 Power Port Placement 10-24-09 Mass 6.4 x 4.7 cm on Rt. femur head. 11-19-09 RT. Femur surgery - Rod placed 12-7-09 Navelbine added to Herceptin/Zometa. 3-23-10 Ten days of rads to RT femur. Completed. 4-05-10 Quit Navelbine--Herceptin/Zometa alone. 5-4-10 Appt. with Dr. Slamon to see what is next? Waiting on FISH results from femur biopsy. Results to FISH was unsuccessful--this happens less then 2% of the time. 7-7-10 Recurrence to RT axilla again. Back to UCLA for options. Last edited by Chelee; 03-19-2011 at 10:11 PM..