GMA's Robin Roberts

Eileenohio

Watching GMA this morning. Gosh Robin Roberts looks great. I know she had chemo for early stage BC but I was wondering if anyone knows the exact details. Why did she need chemo for early BC ?

Thanks

BelaT

I want to know too. I searched but never found anything

SarahsMom

Here is are good articles:

http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/robin-roberts-exclusive-interview-surviving-breast-cancer

abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCallPlusBreastCancerNews/story?id=4141823&page=1#.Tzpv8sj4WSo

She had 6 weeks of radiation and 8 chemo treatments over 8 months, the cancer was triple negative.  Maybe that's why?

Leah_S

I haven't read the articles, but I do know that Stage II is considered early stage. Most oncs recommend chemo for Stage II.

Leah

lago

Early stage goes all the way to some levels of stage III. Stage I many times has chemo recommended. Treatment is not only based on stage but biology of the tumor, age, lymph node status, health of the patient etc. Its complicated.

SpecialK

She had triple negative BC - surgery, chemo and radiation are the only tools available, she can't take Tamoxifen or an AI, it has to be treated aggressively.

BelaT

wonder what cocktails she had and where did she go

jacee

I know she says she had 8 months of chemo, and she mentions having Adriamyacin. Followed by 5 weeks of rads.

LRM216

Yes, she is triple negative, and that is the gold standard of treatment for those of us that are, no matter what whether State 1, II or III.  I was Stage 1 and I went through, surgery,  5 months of DD A/C and 4 rounds of Taxol (was switched from Taxol to Taxotere after first round), followed by 33 rads.  I wish she would speak of her cancer more often as she could be such an excellent spokesperson for us Triple Negs, but all she will do is ocassionally admit she had breast cancer - never gives any more info than that.  It's too bad, with her being in the public eye and all, I find that disappointing.  She had her treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC, and as far as I know, she is still going there.

BelaT

5 months of AC? DD ? I am thinking its a lot. I wish she would talk more too. 

kathleen1966

Yes, I love her.  I wish she would talk about it more.  I think it was a serious invasive cancer.  I don't know if it went to nodes.

AnnNYC

I know she was triple negative, and one of her chemos was the "red devil" (adriamycin, right?) because I saw her talk about it on GMA in 2007-2008.  I know exactly where she went, because she's had her onc* on GMA also, and showed scenes from the chemo suite there.  Don't know if any of these clips are still available on GMA, but they were in 2008.

*Her onc = Ruth Oratz, who's also on the medical advisory board here at BCO. 

Edit to add: LRM216, I don't believe she had treatments at Memorial Sloan-Kettering.  She had her initial surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital (maybe that surgeon was also affiliated with MSKCC?), and her med onc for chemo was Dr. Oratz, who is affiliated with NYU but provides chemo in her private offices.

SpecialK

According to her bio she did 8 chemo treatments, not 8 months of chemo.  She had surgery in August of '07, and had completed chemo in January of '08.  She moved on to rads which was done in March of '08.

BelaT

She is not prt of sloan kettering.

AnnNYC

Here's a link to her "last day of chemo" story -- I can't see a video clip on my browser, but the whole clip is transcribed on this page:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCallPlusBreastCancerNews/story?id=4141823&page=1

(same link CarpeDiem provided above)

Eileenohio

Thanks everyone. Wow she had 8 chemo treatments. She did work during her treatment so apparently her side effects were  manageable.  She is an inspiration,I too wish she would give more details.                                        

SpecialK

eileen - most likely two different chemos - Adriamycin/Cytoxan for 4 rounds, then 4 of a taxane.  An aggressive approach, but she was triple negative and this would be a pretty standard treatment for that. 

She does speak, I believe, because I think she came to a BC/Ovarian cancer conference here in Tampa a few years ago that is sponsored by Moffitt Cancer Center.  She was the keynote speaker during the luncheon.

jacee

She says she did 8 chemo treatments over 8 months. Just doesn't say the combination.

Patty252555140415

I also wish Robin and the other public figures, Olivia Newton John, Kate Jackson, Jacklyn Smith, Cheryl Crow just to name a few would speak out bout their tx , stage etc. How can we ask them to do this???

jacee

I'm finding some women (2 friends of mine) don't even know their cancer characteristics They've gone through tx and recon and still don't know so much about their cancer, or what drugs they were given. I know I drive them crazy with all my questions...and always spewing out information. So hard for me to imagine, but to me, knowledge is power. For them, not so much.   So, I wonder how many of those women who are public figures even know???

lrr4993

I am sure they know the details. These are smart women. I am sure they just prefer to keep the details private. I am the same way. Being a public figure does not destroy your right to privacy.

financegirl

I read her book after I was diagnosed. I think (can't swear) that she had ACT.  I know for a fact she had adriamycin b/c I remember her saying that the doctors told her that little hanging red bag would be the one that took her hair and she'd pee orangey red.  Also remember her saying that on her last chemo day the nurses surrounded her and they blew bubbles for her "graduation".