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Re: The weakly er+ group
Taking hormone therapy is a highly personal decision. I am weakly ER positive so hormone therapy would benefit me 4-6%. That is a very very minimal amount of benefit, considering the serious side effect from hormone therapy. I was serious enough about considering taking it to do the metabolizer test to see if I could metabolize Tamoxifen and I am a normal metabolizer, but it makes me feel sick. So did Arimidex. I tried for weeks to take this stuff - first Arimidex for 3 weeks, then Tamoxifen and felt sicker and weaker every day. My onc said if it was him, he would not take it because of the small benefit. Everyone's diagnosis is different so everyone has to decide on their own. As far as I am concerned there is no study about weakly ER+ women - we are lumped in with studies involving strongly ER+, everyone gets the same dose pill (one size fits all?) and there is no evidence that taking it for 5 years or less - or more - are better. My onc told me that regular vigorous exercise is proving to be better at beating getting a recurrence than chemo! As far as I am concerned my immune system took a big hit and getting it built back up as fast as possible with exercise and good eating habits will help keep me strong, not more chemicals in my body.
Some women just can't take hormone therapy and do just fine. If you are willing to put up with side effects and risks , then go for it. But it's your decision and yours alone.
Have a Peaceful Holiday Season and I wish you all the best,
Dianne
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Three years and 5 months NED
Dx: Aug 2008 right breast IDC with 50% of tumor DCIS, Stage II or IIA, tumor size: 2.1 cm
Grade 3
8/9 Richardson/Bloom test
ER+ weakly positive
Alred Score: 4 (suggesting I would strongly benefit from hormone therapy)
PR-,
HER2 positive +++
No vascular invasion
No lymph nodes involved
Surgery: Sept. 9, 2008 -Modified radical mastectomy, right breast. I chose to have a simple mastectomy on the left. Began Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin November, 2008. Finished T/C March 2009. Finished #16 Herceptin Sept. 09. AI's and Tamoxifen made me sick. Began natural Tamoxifen which is Quercetin, I3C and a combo of other supplements. I am also a DES Daughter. There is now a link between DES exposure in utero and breast cancer!
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