What was your Oncotype score? And treatment?

MamaM

I really need to hear what everyone had as their Oncotype score & what treatment you ended up having??? If you could share your journey with me, I would really appreciate it today.

PoohBear-61

See thread called: NEW Oncotype Dx Roll Call Thread

Stenokim

my oncotype was a 14 with one positive node. I had a single mastectomy and have been on tamoxifen for a year. 47 at dx.

Monis

As you can see by my signature line, I had a stage IIa, grade 2 IDC which was ER+/PR+/HER2-. My Oncotype score was 8, which I was told would give me a 6% chance of recurrence if I was on Tamoxifen. I had a UMX and have been on Tamoxifen for just over a year now.

cookiegal

I was a 22 with a positive node, and this was in 2009, days of yore. I was just about the only node positive person on here who declined chemo. Now it would not be an unusual choice. Radiation and medication.

ml143333

I was diagnosed at 46 years old last July.  My oncotype score was 23.  I am half way through CMF chemo.  I should be finished in March/April.

Professor50

Mine was a 5. I am doing radiation and tamoxifen.

mdg

mine was 17 but I had LVI which is not favorable.  I chose chemo - did TCx4 and was done in 9 weeks.  I used cold caps and kept my hair which made it easier.  I also decided to be more aggressive.....my son was only 4 when I was DX at age 45.

coraleliz

My oncotype was 4 & I had 2 positive nodes. My tumors were grade 1. I opted not to do chemo. Ended up having RADs. I'm hanging in there with the tamoxifen..............

momand2kids

Hi

I had a 26 or 27- which was in the gray area back in 2009….. did 4 rounds of AC- radiation and 5 years of AI (I could not take tamoxifen-so I did 3 years of lupron shots because I was pre-meno) Had a lumpectomy. I decided to do chemo because I wanted to be able to sleep at night--and I have to say, have slept very well over the past 6 years. These are hard decisions-- and you can only make the best decision you can with the info you have at the time. As was said above, 6 years ago, someone with a positive node would have automatically been recommended for chemo….. that is no longer the case with the genetic testing, oncotype, etc. All the new genetic and data that can help you make a good decision for you. In my case, when we reviewed the data it showed that doing chemo would have dropped my projected distant recurrent score by almost 50% , from a 15% to almost a 7%…. so it appeared worth it. I did just A/C at the recommendation of my onc and surgeon--they considered it just enough and standard of care in 2009. I was able to work through it--- I started in January, finished in February -started radiation in March, finished in May. And am now off of the AI as well--all done…

I feel in many ways that I got off easy with a lumpectomy and a very short course (8 weeks) of chemo…And I feel great now.

Best of luck-we all know how hard this is. If you decideto do chemo, just know that you will get through it. everyone here can help.

Blondie7

My oncotype score is 7. Tumor grade 1 with 1 of 2 sentinel nodes positive. No Chemo. On Tamoxifen since July.

Nash54

Mine was a 24.

Nash54

rose50...no chemo My onc said he felt Femara was the right course and said studies would be released in the next few years supporting that treatment for my particular dx. I was 59 at time of dx. I read a study that stated chemo treatment for "gray zone" was only right about 25% of the time. Better outcome with chemo when oncotype score was over 30. Onc said chemo may reduce risk by 2-3% but he/I felt that was not enough to warrant chemo.

Hopeful82014

Nash, are you stage I or II? I'm trying to compare your dx. to mine - it sounds as though your MO is reading the same studies my BS follows.

Nash54

Hopeful82014...I was never told a stage but tumor was 1.2 cm...so I'm assuming stage 1. I had clean margins and no node involvement. My Doc is the Director of the Breast Center that I go to. He's a breast surgeon oncologist....he is up-to-date on the latest studies. I've been following your posts and so glad to hear you are seeing results with Fermara. Makes it easier for me to pop that pill every morning.

Sjacobs146

My Oncotype score was 23. One of my nodes came back positive which for my doc pushed me over to the chemo side. 4 treatments, just finished the last. Getting ready for rads.

hyphencollins

Like sjacobs above, my oncotype was also 23 with one positive node. Chemo was the treatment of choice for my MO and the second opinion because they just don't know enough to say "no chemo" with node positive and intermediate oncotype. One MO recommended TCX4 and the other recommended AC-T (4 + 4). There have been no head to head studies comparing the two. I went with AC-T on the unproven THEORY it may be a more aggressive tx, which hasn't even been studied, so it was a tough choice. Both docs said either tx was a good choice! But I'm young-ish and premenopausal and otherwise healthy so I opted for the AC-T. Last tx today then on to rads!

Just wanted to add that the pathology second opinion said the IDC was a grade 2 but the first said grade 1.... so I'm glad for the oncotype!

Hopeful82014

Hi, Nash - "I've been following your posts and so glad to hear you are seeing results with Fermara. Makes it easier for me to pop that pill every morning."

I'm glad to know that my experience is helping you. I certainly find it boosts my confidence to KNOW that I'm responding strongly to the drug.

I really hope it will enable me to safely avoid chemo. Everyone talks about chemo as though a) it's an insurance that guarantees our future (that's most definitely NOT the case) and b) once you get through it and your hair grows out, it's over - and that's not the case, either. The side effects can be lifelong and fairly serious and I would really like to avoid any chance of those if at all possible.

I'll do it if I HAVE to but I sure wouldn't do it as a "belt and suspenders" approach.

At any rate, I hope you're having as strong a response as I am!

SweetHope

Good morning everyone. My Onco score is 18 (12% recurrence). Because I was a perfect "fit" I am in a clinical trial that is trying to find a more definitive cut off Oncotype number for chemo. I am one of 4,000 in this study. Our treatment is randomly decided by computer, and I was chosen for chemo (nothing experimental - all standard care). I will be ACx4, Taxol x4.

Unfortunately, the portion of the trial where you get to tell your experiences during this journey was closed. Boy, we could give them an earful! But I'm sure our warrior sisters before us let them know everything...the emotional, financial, painful, relationship-destroying cancer that makes us so much stronger.

This is Phase III of the trial. From what I understand, FDA approval would be next. Moderators can correct me if I am wrong.

Wouldn't it be a stress relief to know that cut off number? Of course, the oncotype score is not the be-all-end-all decision maker on treatment. All factors about our individual tumors, age, health, oncologists' recommendation, are only tools to use in our decision on treatment.

Hopeful82014

Sweet Hope, thank you for taking par in this trial. Every but of informTion and knowledge helps. I hope you will journal your experiences and insist on sharing them at the end of the trial. IMO, I can't see why thy wouldn't have wanted everyone rot do that!

I am kind of surprised at the regimen you'll be on. My dx is very similar to yours and I was told that IF I have to do chemo it would be TCx4. Good luck with it. I hope it serves you well.

SweetHope

Hi Hopeful, TC was discussed, but Onc said AC+T was the standard for my diagnosis. I've seen equal numbers of each on these threads. I hope we both are successful.

Hopeful82014

Hmmm - that's interesting, SweetHope. I'd discuss it with my MO but I don't even want to hear the 'A' word from her lips!

And yes - we'd both better be successful or God is going to get an earful.

gentianviolet

My oncotype was an 11. A micromet in one node (they took 14 total). My age at dx was 69 and my onc said no chemo. Did rads, tamoxifen for 4.5 years, and am now on Evista. I agree that choosing the best information to follow at the time of the dx is all we can ever do, however we all know not having a recurrence is a crap shoot. Breast cancer is such a sneaky devil.

Hotrodmommy

I just got my oncotype results yesterday. It's 12 no chemo for me. I'm 47 had a micromet in 1 of 4 nodes, my surgical path report says extensive LVI. I was prepared for chemo due to the LVI, but MO says the oncotype test trumps what the path report says. So Rads and Tamoxifen for 5 yrs. I feel extremely lucky not to have to do chemo, but there is no happy dance for me, I still have breast cancer! I'm going with a plant based diet, and other alternative treatments in hopes of preventing a recurrence, and I just want to be healthier.

Hopeful82014

Hotrod mommy - glad yours came back with such a low score, especially after such a very long wait for it, which must have been tough. Good luck in the future. I hope you are very successful in avoiding a recurrence.

cookiegal

It is interesting because at MSK CMF is given for borderline cases. I don't see that on here very often anymore.

Sweet Hope props to you for taking part in the trial.

It's funny when I explained to people in our boat flipping a coin is a perfectly legitimate way to make the decision.

I really hope the study produces some definitive results, although I guess I also hope it doesn't indicate I made the wrong choice.

SweetHope

Something I need to clarify about my trial: the oncotype score was based on no node involvement. Many with node positive tumors were not even given the oncotype test. My trial has "victims" (yes, that is what I call us) with 1 to 3 positive nodes and a score of 25 or under. While Hotrodmommy has a positive node which before meant definite chemo, she has a great low score and the choice was easy. My mid-range score left me with the feeling that the test did not help at all with the decision making. The outcome of this trial will help those mid-range victims. And everyone is hoping that the study will show that these mid numbers don't need chemo.

Hopeful82014

Thanks for that info, SH. I, too, am hoping that it shows the intermediates don't need chemo. I have a sneaking suspicion that chemo has a much more limited role in control of some breast cancers than has been believed until very recently.

Do you happen to know what your Ki-67 rate was, Sweet Hope? And, by the way, good luck on Tuesday. I will be pulling for you.

MTDeborah

Hello SweetHope,

You are going through so much physically and emotionally. So sorry for that. Two surgeries at the end of November (2014) and you're beginning chemotherapy. I am curious to know why so many lymph nodes were removed (29 is so many). I'm sure you're learning about lymphedema. Please take this seriously and care for your arm and massage the fluid from your chest. You are receiving pretty tough chemotherapy. I received 2 of the 3 chemicals.

ONCOTYPE DX SCORE:

Here's a link: http://www.genomichealth.com/en-US/OncotypeDX.aspx...

It is my understanding that the purpose of this genomic test is to grade the AGGRESSIVENESS of cancer cells on a scale from 1 to 100.

One person may have very aggressive cancer cells which rapidly reproduce (High Oncotype DX Score).

Another person may have slow growing cancer cells, which reproduce very slowly (Low Oncotype DX Score).

My Oncotype DX Score is 43. I'm 52 years old with the youngest child still at home. I would be grateful for a score of 30 or less.

TO EVERYONE:

I hope everyone will consider the use of attaching labels and fighting metaphors to human beings.

The opposite of "Survivor" is what?

Meow13

My score was a 34 I chose no chemo. I am currently taking a break from exemestane. Doing OK after 3 years.

Mabs

I had an oncotype of 11. Although I am only 36, docs said no chemo for me... Only Tamoxifen for 5/10 years...