chemo questions for my TN mom

ninastar

Hi Ladies!

Wasn't sure if I should post this here or the chemo forum, maybe I'll try both.

My mom had a double mastectomy end of Nov. We're meeting two oncologists this week about chemo. There was an oncotypeDx ordered, we just haven't been told the results yet. We're a bit confused/overwhelmed with the chemo names/schedule options as they seem to vary a bit. I'm trying to do research to gather questions for the possibilities they'll recommend.

She is stage IIb we believe (though they haven't told us as much yet)- she had a 2.9 cm grade 3, triple neg tumor with no nodes. Does this narrow down the options of what they'll recommend or how long they will recommend or does it vary doctor to doctor? It's hard to research all the drugs that are mentioned as I read through all the possiblities, especially if her particular path narrows it down. It seems we're almost always in a state of information overload, so I thought I'd ask for your two cents :-)

Thanks for your time and your help, we really appreciate it.

~Nina

mamaof3bugs

I think the standard of care for most TN's is 4DD AC and either 4DD taxol or 12 weekly taxols.  They also offer CFM on occasion.  Looking at the stats you posted it appears she is a IIa, her stats are very similar to mine and I am a IIa.  Good luck to you and your mom   Angi

TiffanyF4

I was TN 2b I had 4 rounds of taxatere/cytoxin and 40 radiation treatments. Take a deep breath and wait until you see the oncologist then you can make informed decisions. I wish you all the luck.

SunnyCoconut

I had a choice of mastectomy and chemo, or lumpectomy, chemo and radiation.  I chose bilateral mastectomy with chemo.  My chemo was 4 rounds of dose dense A/C every two weeks and then 4 rounds of dose dense Taxol every two weeks.  My oncologist recommended a great website "nccn.org".  Best wishes to you and your mom!

ninastar

Thanks for your insight, so much! All three of you. 

The first oncologist's regimen is 4 DD A/C followed by 12 weekly Taxol. When I asked about a port, he wasn't recommending putting one in- to give her good veins a chance to handle the IVs. Then it occured to me that if they recommend a port when her veins start to fail (as he said they might) won't it be near impossible to heal if it's in the process of all this chemo?

We're paying out of pocket (mom has Kaiser) to see a second oncologist at a cancer center tomorrow. We'll see what she says tomorrow, but this sounds like the standard for her stats at least, unless she were participating in a study.

SunnyCoconut

Personally, I loved my port.  It made everything so easy, chemo and blood tests.  I have heard of some people having difficulty with their port but my experience was good.  I did have it removed about a month after chemo was finished though because I didn't want to be reminded of breast cancer any longer than necessary.  Some people choose to keep them in, just in case.  Ewww!  My oncologist they can put another one in if it is ever needed down the road. 

Luah

The A in AC is particularly toxic and hard on veins. In Canada, PICC lines are done more than ports, and are certainly pretty routine if you're getting more than 4 or 6 infusions.  Plus all your bloodwork (weekly in the case of 12 taxol) can be drawn without needles.  

ninastar

Again, thanks for your help girls. So I called and pushed for a port instead of waiting for her veins to crap out and then installing one like they wanted to and they put it in STAT yesterday, and her first infusion is tomorrow.

Hopefully the healing won't be too delayed by the chemo and blood count drops. Lots of love and strength to you all, ~nina