Oncotype Intermediate Score

tear_and_a_smile1

I am really having difficulty deciding whether to have chemo or not.  My Oncotype score is 22 and the two oncologists I've seen have essentially left the decision up to me.  I keep going back and forth, and I'm really worried about the possibility of long term cognitive impairment.  Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Paula1231

For what it is worth, I used 18 as the border.  I decided anything over 18 and I would get chemo.  It is a tough decision, but I wanted to know that I  had done everything I could to kill the beast.  As my OncoDx was 28 I deff opted for the chemo. 

BarbaraA

I had a high side of low score of 17 so no chemo. You could opt for CMF chemo which is much milder and has fewer side effects. There is a thread under the chemo topic about it. Go read up on it and consider it. You won't lose your hair with it, but it is longer.

D4Hope

I had a score of twenty and chose to do chemo, I think everyone chooses what they think is best for them, I am hoping the chemo killed anything that might have been lingering. My psoriasis seems to have disapeared as well

JanetinVirginia

I'm worried if my oncotype 13 score is really in the low category.  The TailorX trial is trying to determine best outcomes of the mid-range group.  But for this trial they lowered the definition of range as follows:

0-10= low - hormone therapy only

11-25= mid - randomized into either hormone therapy only group or hormone therapy + chemo group

26+ = high - hormone therapy + chemo.

jan508

I had a 19 (actually oncologist said it was between 18-19) and I also had the mammaprint test done which came back as low risk so onc. said no chemo needed, just tamoxifen

Jan

momand2kids

This is a hard decision-- when I had the oncotype test done, anything over 18 was considered intermediate-up to 30, I think.  I had a 26 or 27..... I have young children, I was in excellent health other than the bc, so I decided to do it-- 4 rounds of AC..... That was almost 2 years ago..... I don't think I have had any lingering side effects that I am aware of---more se's from the hormonal therapies than anything else.  

 While neither my onc or surgeon "told" me to have chemo, when I finally decided, they both told me that if I was their favorite sister they would be twisting my arm to do the chemo..... as insurance for an already pretty good prognosis..... 

All of that said, it is unpleasant, but I did manage to work full time through most of it--- took a couple of days off after each infusion--- but that does not work for everyone, but here are lots of tips on the chemo boards if you should decide to take that route.

I don't really know how to advise you other than to say once you decide, be comfortable with that decision and don't look backwards. You do the best with what you have right now before you.  

Best of luck

katsOK

 information for D4Hope:   I also had less psoriasis while taking chemo.  My second drug besides taxatere was cytoxan and I read it is used to treat psoriasis in extreme cases.  I figured out that is why mine got better.  Unfortunately it came back afterwards.  

kira1234

kat43, I have also had less exema but that started right after the surgery.  I only had 1 chemo treatment, so don't know if it was surgery, radiation, or the chemo that helped the exema.