Which chemo drugs and other questions

SophiaMarie

I had a 2cm grade 2 er/pr+ her2- removed. I know I will have to have radiation and hormone therapy, but haven't seen the onc yet to know what he says about chemo. I'm trying to research as much as possible beforehand so I can ask good questions - can you help?



Is there a typical chemo combo that is given for what I'm dealing with?



Do they really give you steroids as well?



How much did your wbc drop?



Isn't having a port scary?? Where do they put it and doesn't it hurt??



And any other comments you can add!

travlmom

I am also seeking information - DX 7/24  I do not know my stage yet but had my lumpectomy and SLND 8/8.  I am HER2+.  I am going to ask for a port because it is easier than getting stuck every time. When my friend was fighting lung cancer her veins began to collapse and then they placed the port. I want to bypass that.  Waiting for PATH report this week.

hrf

Sorry the 2 of you have to go through this but you have come to the right place. You will get lots of good information and support from the great women here.



I will try to address some of your questions but others will be by to add I'm sure.



SophieMarie, there are some standard chemo combinations but it depends on your stage and full pathology. You should certainly be asking for an oncotype test as that will determine your risk of recurrence and therefore whether or not chemo would be useful. Also depends on whether you have nodes involved. The steroids help to prevent nausea. Usually you take them just for a few days starting the day before chemo. Everyone's WBC is different. If it drops too much, they have ways to help. There's a drug for everything. And the port is easier than getting your arm poked. It is put in when you have a gentle anaesthetic and it goes in your chest below your collar bone. It feels weird at first but you get used to it.



Travlmom, once you have your full path report you'll know what to ask for on these boards. Good luck to both of you.

SophiaMarie

(One sentinel node removed and it was clear)



I also had a question about staging/survival rates - my surgeon said I had an 80% chance of living 5 yrs without further treatments (besides the surgery). But I can't find where it says anything about those stages being after surgery/before treatments - can you clarify this? I'd like to think radiation and hormone therapy and even possibly chemo would increase it above 80%!

SpecialK

You can use these tools for information on survival with/without assorted treatment.  The Predict tool factors in treatment for Her2+, I believe it is newer.  I like the pictogram graphing for the cancermath tool - I think it is easier to understand.  Oncotype Dx is useful for understanding whether or not chemo will provide more benefit than risk for ER+ early stage patients, but the score presumes you will use hormonal therapy.

travlmom - Oncotype Dx is not usually done for Her2+ because the assumption is that you will receive chemo due to the need for Herceptin, particularly for you with a positive node.  You should ask your oncologist about which drug regimen he/she recommends and why - ask specifically about risk/benefit associated with each combination.

http://www.lifemath.net/cancer/breastcancer/therapy/index.php

http://www.predict.nhs.uk/predict.shtml

hrf

The staging is based on your pathology and not on tx. The survival rate is based on tx options. Usually ongoing tx is determined by a medical oncologist, not a surgeon. Have you seen a MO yet? Seems that you need an oncotype to help determine if chemo is required.

SophiaMarie

I'm very concerned about whether I will have the oncotype. I have state insurance. It would be very reassuring to know.



I have another question - there's no way a large tumor can grow in just 2 - 3 weeks, is there? Above the nipple there is now a firm spot... I know it could be from the trauma... But it also now makes me nervous...