Good News Today

[tousled1]

Well, today I finished my last round of neoadjunct chemotherapy!!! Never thought this day would come.

But the great news is that the results of he PET scan I had on Monday showed no mets and currently no active cancer. Seems the neoadjunct chemo did its trick.

I am now scheduled for surgery June 8th and I must admit I have a really positive feeling about it. My onc and surgeon both recommend a mastectomy which I agree with. In light of the size of my initial tumor and the invasivesness of it, my very dense breasts and how mammograms don't pick up things too easily with dense breasts, and the very strong history of breast cancer in my family, I have opted to have a bilatral mastectomy. For me it was a hard decision but I believe it's the best.

My oncologist will start me on hereptin immediately after surgery due to my strong HER2 satus. About 3-4 weeks after surgery I will have my 40 rounds of radition.

So far things have been working out for me and hopefully will continue to.

This board is an inspiration and contains a wealth of information for any woman with breast cancer. I thank the day I found this board.

S

[RhondaH]

And continued health and happiness Take care and God bless.

[Kimberly Lewis]

Very happy for the good report. I have been happy with the hard choices I made and hope that you will be too. kim

[al from Canada]

Dear S, I applaude your ability to make these very hard decisions however,

1. did you know that there is no survival advantage between mastecomy and lumpectomy when chemo is given in the neo-adjuvant setting?

2. I question the neccessity for 40 rads after mastectomy, particularily after a left (close to the heart) mast.

3. have you been tested for the BRCC2 (sp?) gene? if that isn't present, your chances of a re-occurance are the same as the general population.

4. some research has shown that radical surguries can further activate the HER2 gene which is really a type of groth factor.

I don't mean to stir the pot however I also don't like to see such radical decisions based upon only one team's opinion. This is really radical stuff, I just hope it is grounded in sound medical evidence.

Good luck,
Al

ps, Linda had neo-adjuvant chemo + lumpectomy and had clear margines and no local re-occurances. Her mets were there (as we discovered later) 1 month after diagnosis.

[al from Canada]

To add to my previous post, please read the following in "articles of interest"

Al
http://her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=23801

[tousled1]

Al,

Thank you for your concerns and insight which I know comes from caring for someone you cared deeply about.

Believe me, I did not come to my decision easily. My onc tested me for the BRAC gene and I do carry it. That was another factor in my decision. A brief history of breast cancer in my family: sister, mother's sister, aunt on mother's side, grandmother on mother's side, father's sister, aunt on father's side, grandmother on father's side.

The reason my oncologist is recommending radiation after mastectomy (a rariety) is because of the initial size of the tumor 5.5cm and the invasiveness of the tumor in the breast (3cm). My cancer is in the right breast and on my initial diagnosis my surgeon also biopsed some of my axillary nodes which tested positive. My oncologist is a young woman who keeps abreast of all the latest news and clinical trials for breast cancer. I have the utmost confidence in her and in my surgeon who is also a young woman whose speciality is breast care/cancer.

I have done a lot of research on mastectomy vs lumpectomy and am aware that the survival rate is the same.

My decision for a bilateral mastectomy was based on many factors -- the most important one being my own peace of mind. Regardless of what the research shows I, in my heart of hearts, must do this in order to have peace of mind.

I know it is a drastic decision but at my age (59) I'm not planning on being a pole dancer or anything -- just trying to put a bit of humor in here. I do plan on having reconstruction at a later date.

[tousled1]

Al,

Forgot to mention that I was initially diagnosed Stage III (October 2005).