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How can they know this?
Kiri had her first scans after her Stage IV diagnosis last April and met with her oncologist yesterday. She had mets to her bones, liver, lungs and lymph and was on Taxol, Herceptin and Perjeta (taxol weekly, H and P every three weeks) for 12 weeks. Her oncologist told her she had a "Phenomenal" response to the chemo, all cancer gone from lungs, bones and lymph and new growth in bones, but liver lesions, while shrunk, still there, and no new liver lesions. So they are keeping her on a reduced dose of taxol, 2 weeks on, l week off, for 3 more months and then will switch her to P&H until progression, which they estimate in 9-12 months.
Her oncologist also told her that given the meds available, and the type of aggressive cancer she has (triple positive), she could expect to live another 5 years. (Originally, I think she had told K she had similar patients who had lived 10 or more years).
This is Dana Farber, a top institute, and K (and I) have full faith in her team. But how can they say 5 years, with all the recent research and new meds? Or am I being pollyannaish in hoping for more? Is this in fact a reasonable estimate?
Right now aside from the se's from taxol, she is perfectly healthy. She's strong and active, horseback riding, rock climbing, living a normal life aside from the 2-3 days that the tx throws her back. Her liver function is normal. She had multiple lesions in her liver; I don't know how many have shrunk, or by how much.
Please honestly tell me what you make of this.
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