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10-15-2011, 05:30 AM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 1
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Alternative treatment to chemo
Hello. I had a double masectomy 1 month ago and now they want me to do chemo. But was wondering if anyone has decided not to do the chemo and instead take an alternative route.
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10-15-2011, 06:22 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 476
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Re: Alternative treatment to chemo
It is a very personal decision. As you can see from my treating history, I opted not to do chemo. It hinges on your gut feeling whether all offending cancer cells have been removed, your age, the other factors including whether you are on anti estrogen meds, amount of excercise, etc. Age is also a very important factor. Good luck to you.
__________________
Ann
Stage 1 dx Sept 05
ER/PR positive HER2 +++ Grade 3
Invasive carcinoma 1 cm, no node involvement
Mastec Sept 05
Annual scans all negative, Oct 06
Postmenopause. Arimidex only since Sept 06, bone or muscle ache after 3 month
Off Arimidex, change to Femara 1/12-07, ache stopped
Sept 07 all tests negative, pass 2 year mark
Feb 08 continue doing well.
Sep 09 four year NED still on Femara.
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10-16-2011, 11:20 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,142
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Re: Alternative treatment to chemo
In addition to listening to your gut you may want to read and make sure you understand all your pathology reports, ct scan reports and other reports. Then you may want to talk to a naturopathic physician or other physicians (for example osteopaths, doctors of Chinese medicine, integrative medicine specialists etc. )who are familiar with treating breast cancer by going the alternative route. You should share your reports and experiences with those providers. Leave no stone unturned so that you will be 100% comfortable with your decisions and whatever may result from those decisions.
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10-16-2011, 02:48 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ireland
Posts: 3,463
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Re: Alternative treatment to chemo
A friend of mine did opt to go the alternative route and sadly recurred as stage iv to the bones within two years so I'm skeptical but we all need to make our own judgements on this of course and do wish you well whatever you decide.
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Tricia
Dx July '05 IDC 1.9cm Triple positive 3/9 nodes positive
A/C X 4 ..Taxol/Herceptin x 12 wks then herceptin 1 yr
Rads x 36 ..oophorectomy August '06
Currently taking Arimidex..
June 2011 osteopenia/ zometa x1 yearly- stopped Zometa 2015 as Dexa show normal bone density.
Stopped Arimidex July 2014- Restarted Arimidex 2015 for a further two years on the advice of my Onc.
2014 Normal Dexa scan
2018 Mammo all clear, still NED!
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10-16-2011, 02:52 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 617
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Re: Alternative treatment to chemo
Yes indeed it is a personal choice. There is a program that they use at the hospital that calculate the benefit of chemo i.e. according to nodes involvement grade her2+ ect..
So they should be able to let you know exactly the calculated benefit of chemo. i.e. for example 10% additional chance of not recurring after chemo compared with no chemo..
With this info you can make up your mind against the side effects/risk of chemo.
Also there is a gut feeling that is trying to protect us against polluting our body which feels so wrong.. but if the benefit is to not join secondaries BC well..
Again it is a personal choice but I agree with above only that you can make with the right info
There are no other alternative that can offer you a calculated %, if only if only..
__________________
35 y/o
June 06: BC stage I
Grade 3; ER/PR neg
Her-2+++; lumpectomies
Aug 06: Stage IV
liver mets: 6 tumours
July 06 to Jan 07: 2*FEC+6*Taxotere; 3*TACE; LITT
March 07- Sept 07: Vaccination trial (phase 2, peptide based) at the UW (Seattle).
Herceptin since 2006
NED til Oct 09
Recurrence Oct 2009: to internal mammary gland since October 2009 missed on Oct and March 2010 scan.. palpable nodes in May 2010 when I realised..
Nov 2011:7 mets to lungs progressing fast failed hercp/tykerb/xeloda combo..
superior vena cava blocked: stent but face remains puffy
April 2012: Teresa Trial, randomised to TDM1
Nov 2012 progressing on TDM1
Dec 2012 blockage of my airways by tumours, obliteration of these blocking tumours breathing better but hoping for more- at mo too many tumours to count in the lungs and nodes.
Dec 2012 Starting new trial S-222611 phase 1b dual egfr her2+ inhibitor.
'Under no circumstances should you lose hope..' Dalai Lama
Last edited by fullofbeans; 10-16-2011 at 02:56 PM..
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10-16-2011, 03:02 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 1,427
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Re: Alternative treatment to chemo
None of us will ever know for sure what "works" and what doesn't. Ann's friend might have metastasized anyway with treatment. You might decide not to get further treatment and never have cancer again. I have a friend who has had two primary breast cancers, fifteen years apart, and did not have chemo either time. She appears to be cancer free. It is your decision to make, and I hope for the best for you. But intuition is not likely to be very helpful here. You need facts.
My oncologist has access to a computer program that can estimate five year survival based on all known factors. See if yours does too, and have her or him plug in all of yours--age, stage, other health factors, tumor biology, etc. and see what the numbers are for your bmx plus chemo or without. (Sorry, but "alternative" treatments have not been shown scientifically to be superior to doing nothing. Maybe there are, but there's no evidence.) The numbers will give you a better idea of what the odds are for you. Then you can make an informed choice.
If you are triple positive then why would you not at least do hormone therapy and Herceptin? They are not as harsh as chemo and can very likely help you. Have your onc plug that into the computer program and see what you find out.
__________________
Amy
_____________________________
4/19/11 Diagnosed invasive ductal carcinoma in left breast; 2.3 cm tumor, 1 axillary lymph node, weakly ER+, HER2+++
4/29/11 CT scan shows suspicious lesions on liver and lungs
5/17/11 liver biopsy
5/24/11 liver met confirmed--Stage IV at diagnosis
5/27/11 Begin weekly Taxol & Herceptin for 3 months (standard of care at the time of my DX)
7/18/11 Switch to weekly Abraxane & Herceptin due to Taxol allergy
8/29/11 CT scan shows no new lesions & old lesions shrinking
9/27/11 Finish Abraxane. Start Herceptin every 3 weeks. Begin taking Arimidex
10/17/11--Brain MRI--No Brain mets
12/5/11 PET scan--Almost NED
5/15/12 PET scan shows progression-breast/chest/spine (one vertebra)
5/22/12 Stop taking Arimidex; stay on Herceptin
6/11/12 Started Tykerb and Herceptin on clinical trial (w/no chemo)
9/24/12 CT scan--No new mets. Everything stable.
3/11/13 CT Scan--two small new possible mets and odd looking area in left lung getting larger.
4/2/13--Biopsy of suspicious area in lower left lung. Mets to lung confirmed.
4/30/13 Begin Kadcyla/TDM-1
8/16/13 PET scan "mixed," with some areas of increased uptake, but also some definite improvement, so I'll stay on TDM-1/Kadcyla.
11/11/13 Finally get hormone receptor results from lung biopsy of 4/2/13. My cancer is no longer ER positive.
11/13/13 PET scan mixed results again. We're calling it "stable." Problems breathing on exertion.
2/18/14 PET scan shows a new lesion and newly active lymph node in chest, other progression. Bye bye TDM-1.
2/28/14 Begin Herceptin/Perjeta every 3 weeks.
6/8/14 PET "mixed," with no new lesions, and everything but lower lungs improving. My breathing is better.
8/18/14 PET "mixed" again. Upper lungs & one spine met stable, lower lungs less FDG avid, original tumor more avid, one lymph node in mediastinum more avid.
9/1/14 Begin taking Xeloda one week on, one week off. Will also stay on Herceptin and Perjeta every three weeks.
12/11/14 PET Scan--no new lesions, and everything looks better than it did.
3/20/15 PET Scan--no new lesions, but lower lung lesions larger and a bit more avid.
4/13/15 Increasing Xeloda dose to 10 days on, one week off.
7/1/15 Scan "mixed" again, but suggests continuing progression. Stop Xeloda. Substitute Abraxane every 3 weeks starting 7/13.
10/28/15 PET scan shows dramatic improvement everywhere. All lesions except lower lungs have resolved; lower lungs noticeably improved.
12/18/15 Last Abraxane. Continue on Herceptin and Perjeta alone beginning 1/8/16.
1/27/16 PET scan shows cancer is stable.
5/11/16 PET scan shows uptake in some areas that were resolved on the last two scans.
6/3/16 Begin Kadcyla and Tykerb combination
6/5 - 6/23 Horrible diarrhea from K&T together. Got pneumonia.
7/15/16 Begin Kadcyla only every 3 weeks.
9/6/16 Begin radiation therapy on right lung lesion that caused the pneumonia.
10/3/16 Last of 12 radiation treatments to right lung.
11/4/16 Huffing and puffing, low O2, high heart rate, on tiniest bit of exertion. Diagnosed as radiation pneumonitis. Treated with Prednisone.
11/11/16 PET scan shows significant improvement to radiated part of right lung BUT a bunch of new lung lesions, and the bone met is getting worse.
11/22/16 Begin Eribulin and Herceptin. H every 3 weeks. E two weeks on, one week off.
3/6/17 Scan shows progression in lungs. Bone met a little better.
3/23/17 Lung biopsy. Tumor sampled is ER-, PR+ (5%), HER2+++. Getting Herceptin and Perjeta as a maintenance treatment.
5/31/17 Port placement
6/1/17 Start Navelbine & Tykerb
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10-16-2011, 04:11 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 463
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Re: Alternative treatment to chemo
Dear Va4jc,
I think to answer your question properly, in context -- we'll have to have more information about the details of your diagnosis. Breast cancer is many different diseases and each diagnosis not only has variants in the biology of the cancer but also in the "stage" at which it's diagnosed. All those things have an affect on treatment decisions. We can't tell you anything useful by just saying "yes" or "no" we did or did not have chemo. That would in most cases be comparing apples and oranges and not be of help to you.
Can you tell us more about your diagnosis and pathology report, about why your providers recommend chemo, and also about why you are resistant to the idea?
I look forward to making your acquaintance. You've come to a great place to ask questions, and to be heard.
Debbie Laxague
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10-16-2011, 04:17 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 463
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Re: PS: Adjuvant!, was:Alternative treatment to chemo
PS: about the computer program Amy mentioned. I assume it's Adjuvant!, or adjuvantonline.com. It doesn't do a very good job for HER2+ treatment -- you have to pick your own estimate of how much being HER2+ increases risk, and also Herceptin (or other anti-HER2 tx) is not part of the tx choices. But it is a place to start gathering information. It's accessible to anyone although not recommended for solo access because they want you to have a provider at hand to help interpret the information for you.
Debbie Laxague
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