Is TCH ok with er+/pr+?

julesawj

I need to start treatment next week and my onc wants my decision re: ACTH or TCH she likes TCH and so far so do I, I really don't want to ruin the ole ticker before I can get all the benfits from Herceptin. I am concerned however because I am triple +, and had 3+ nodes out of 24, I am stage IIB, grade 3. It looks like the west coast is really going with TCH and I live in the east coast, so 3 out of the 4 onco I met with all suggested DD AC/TH. ARRGGHHHH! Any info?

talbrig13

I did DD tch 10 times then a year of Herceptin every 3 weeks.   Because of family hx of heart problems.   I came thru fine.   There is one study that shows longer survival with TCH vs AC/TH which my onc showed me.   It was very doable for me.  I did not get terribly sick, just very tired.

Good Luck.  By the way, I am on the east coast.  My onc did a lot of research for me and is very aggressive.

tomatojuice

I did TCH and I had 3 positive nodes, one even had extranodal extensions. Its true that the west coast is using it more. And lots of other places around the country. Only one doctor out of five on my team suggested I do it. But I didn't want to chance the heart problems. If you go to Cancer Update 2, 2008. Hit on audio. Then go to roundtable discussion, #9 0r # 10 there a discussions about doctors increasingly giving TCH to patients with even five or more nodes. That pretty much convinced me. Good luck to you whatever you choose.I have finished chemo, starting rads in 2 weeks.

HensonChi

I am triple positive and am doing TCH.  I am on my 4th treatment.  I ask the doc what is going to take care of the estrogen and progesterone and she said the taxotere and the pills that I will take for 5 years.  She sounded pretty sure this would work....I hope she is right!