[saleboat]

Chelee,

Oh no, the worries have you, don't they? We've all been there.

There is ONE very simple reason for why you did not have A/C. Your Onc, based on the NEW evidence that was presented (I sent you the link) believed that Carbo/Taxol/Herceptin would be the BEST treatment for you-- ie-- that this regimen would give results similar to the one with A/C WITHOUT any of the risks of heart damage. I predict that in the future, the chemo that you received will be the standard of care for many women. I know you don't like the fact that your Onc was a little wet behind the ears, but this probably led him to be more comfortable with the cutting-edge treatment that you received.

In other words, the reason that you see so many women on these boards who received A/C is that they, for the most part, were diagnosed before you. A/C is the chemo that most Oncs are familiar with (for early stage disease), and the first Herceptin studies for early-stage disease used this chemo. The second big Herceptin study (the link that I sent you) put the A/C chemo vs. your regimen head to head-- and found NO statistical differences between the outcomes.

ALL of these results need more time in order for the researchers to have a great deal of confidence in them, but so far, things look encouraging.

We all have our worries, and as I mentioned before, I was OBSESSED with why I did not receive Carbo as part of my treatment. Absolutely obsessed.

I hope you can find some peace.

As for tumor markers, I will not have these done until I'm finished with Herceptin-- that is the 'standard of care' at my treatment center for early-stage bc. What your new Onc said sounds exactly like what my Onc would say.

This disease can drive a person crazy and we all have to learn to live with a lot of unknowns. It isn't easy.

Deep breath,
Jen