How about a thread for women over 75?

Infobabe

Our situation is so different to women 30 years younger than us.  What works for us, will not work for them and visa versa.

We are all post menopausal and we can compare our experience and the treatment we have had or are going to have.

sheila888

Infobabe....i just stopped by to say hello

Infobabe

sheila888 

Thanks for that bump.

So yours was 7 years ago.

What treatment did you undergo?  I want to know what works for us.  It is hard to parse that out with all these threads.

I am just starting out with a lumpectomy and a resection to get a clean margin on one side.  I don't know what would work for me with the least damage.  I don't want the cure to be worse than the disease.

Hope to hear from you.

 and P S-----Sheila ws my mother's name.  I like it.

sheila888

infobabe...Before i start i want you to know i'm not over 75...if you don't mind then we are fine....

I was 53 when i was DX ...9 months after went into menapose

I had a lumpectomy and SNB....margins weren't clean so i had re-excision....

I went through all the chemo and radiation + because I was HER+.....had Herceptin for one year once a week.

4DD A/C chemo followed by 4DD of Taxol........

you have DCIS...what I read on these boards usually only radiation is given

♥

Infobabe

So you are under 75.  That's OK.   Nice to have someone to talk to.

We shall see about Tamoxifen.  My breast surgeon thought so.  I had a hyst. 33 years ago but guess I am still producing hormones as I am 100% positive.  I have a friend who was on Tamoxifen and had absolutly no side effects.  I would be willing to give it a try.

They are really throwing the book at me.  I started with the balloon for MammoSite but it was too close to the skin so had to pull it out.  Seems like so much for DCIS.

sheila888

I forgot to write...i also took Femara for 5 years from March 2006-2011

I didn't have any SE at all...I was 90% ER+ and 10% PR+

I thought Tamoxifen was for pre-menopausal woman.........

My tumor was 1.2 cm

Infobabe

sheila888

It remains to be seen what they will want to put me on but my surgeon thought Tamoxifen.  My friend who was on it was post menopausal too.

Not strictly speaking a tumor, my thing was 1.0.

slousha

Hi, 

I was 70 at my Dx. Have had left lumpectomy, axial surgery, Taxotere 6x, 30 rads, 1year Herceptin. 21 months on Femara, now Aromasin. Doing well - hoping the best!

Take care and best wishes!

Usha

Infobabe

slousha

That is good news.  Any side offects?  Was this left or right breast?

dogsandjogs

Great thread!  Yes, I think the treatment options for us are so different, although my onc doesn't agree!  I did not do rads because the percentage difference was only 3 percent for women over 70 (according to the rad onc) and I was worried about my lungs and heart being in the radiation field. Also worried about possible rib fracture.

I also read about a study that said women over 70 may not benefit by hormonal treatment.

I am making an appt. with the onc to discuss my not taking Aromasin anymore. He wants to see me in person to discuss this and other options. Would not talk to me about it on the phone. I can see his point - for a variety of reasons.

slousha

Hi infobabe,

I have had surgery on my left breast. Having big breasts and smaller tumor, my operated breast is lifted because the surgery was above the nipple - no difference with bra now. My tumor was 100% ER and 40% PR, hormonal therapy is obligatory. I found it the heaviest of all treatments before.

I was on Femara for 21 months, for first two months nothing remarkable, later I have had very hard times with - physically and psychically. I had pains all over and I was getting old for years. My Onco seeing thicker finger knuckle, proposed switching from Femara to Aromasin (exemestane). With Aromasin from January, the SE's are lessened and changed a little - no more so many bone pains - but some headache, dizziness, faintness and tiredness.  

Enough lamenting! We are alive - we have pain killers to take - we should enjoy the life donated to us!

Take care and bests!

Usha

Sorry, English isn't my native language!

Infobabe

slousha

I would not know you are not a native English speaker.  You did very well.

I thank you for giving me your personal experience.   My situation is a little different.  Everyone's is. 

Those drugs are what scare me the most.  i do not have a pain in my body and I don't relish starting now.  I had a hysteretomy 33 years ago but am still producing enough hormones to give me this.  My ER/PR is 100% so my surgeon thought tomoxifen but we will see.  There is an Oncotype test that studies the genetics of you cancer and can predict the likelyhood of it ever coming back.  I want this test and the oncologist is the only one who can order it.  We shall see.

slousha

Hi infobabe,

I have information as: DCIS isn't invasive - you have a really low stage, best prognosis,  but could be you will get some hormonal, because of high ER/PR. Tamoxifen is known as the gentlest one.

Best from Usha!

Kicks

Not 75 - but 65 (66 next month).



I was DX'd in Aug '09. Started Femara (Letrozole) Feb '10 and have had no problems with it. BUT when I went through natural menopause - I had no problems then either. Was originally told that it would be 5 yrs of it but time before last I saw Chemo Dr, he said that the most recent research says that I'll be on it forever. I have a very different DX than you do though so that makes for a lot of differences in TX.



Going through menopause (natural/surgical/drug induced) does not mean that your body no longer produces estrogen. Other parts of the body produce it (even in men) and some foods have it in them.

Infobabe

Just informed by my RO's office that they don't do Oncotype for DCIS.  I asked who "they" are?  The hospital or the Oncotype people.  She didn' know but I do see the doc June 11. 

He better have a comvincing argument because I know Oncotype has been available since Dec.  What is the problem to have as much information as possible going forward.  It might inform how intensive my treatment has to be.  Do I really have to have my lung and heart fried, and later, aching bones?

pinglou

I am 71 and recently diagnosed with "triple negative" invasive ductal carcinoma.  The oncologist in San Francisco definately feels chemo would be beneficial but he is recommending a lesser effective chemo called CMF.  My doctor is recommending Taxanes.  I can't find a site that compares the two.

Life isn't an easy road at best but this diagnosis sure has thrown me for a loop.

Infobabe

pinglou

Here is a web site that might help.  Also some contacts there.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15315305

There is more.  Just plug into google: CMF Taxanes

Seems the CMF has fewer side effects.  They say advanced breast cancer.  Yours doesn't seem like that to me.  Is it Stage 1?

Do you think the SF doctor is more advanced?  I hear they have a great breast cancer treatment out there.

Yes, you are thrown for a loop.  Here we have been getting mammograms for 25 years and now this.  It seems the anticipation of what will happen is worse than the reality.  It is so drawn out.  Biopsy was March 15.  First I started with the MammoSite but it was a failure.  I had a lumpectomy May 1 and a re-do May 15. Now I am starting the 3rd month and only gone this far.  Best wishes to you for successful treatment.

Cindi74

I turn 75 this week, and am grateful for this site.  Port on Tuesday and chemo soon after.  All my life I have been healthy.  No problems except for 3 panic attacks in hospitals and I was the patient only one of those times.  Hate and fear needles but would be willing to have them knock me out for nine months. 

Kids gave great birthday party last night.  Large supportive family and fantastic husband.  Lots of grandchildren made me decide to give chemo and full treatment a try, but should much pain and suffering set it, I may call it off.  Surgeon gave me anxiety drugs and pain pills, so maybe that will get me through.  The wonderful info and support from BC.org has been a God send.

You other vintage gals,  let's stick together.

Infobabe

 Cindi74

Whoa, Cindy.  I started this thread 3 months ago and my situation has changed. 

I got a 2nd opinion from Dr. Michael Lagious at Stanford and he said I have been treated completely and well and require only mammograms going forward.  No Tamoxifen either.  This means that my rescission was my last treatment.  I already had OK margins with the lumpectomy but the rescission gave me big ones.  This is very important for the path I am following.  My insurance actually called it a partial mastectomy and I do have a divot.  My Van Nuyes score was a 5.

So I cancelled rads though my RO did everything in his power to persuade me to have them.  My lungs, heart and skin will be spared. 

I hope I made the right decision and time will tell.  Later this month I get my first post op mammogram.

Bet wishes for your treatment.   I am sure you will be OK.  As we age, things happen and we have to suck up some of this uncomfortable treatment.  Usually, it isn't as bad as we thought it would be. You are brave.  We all are.