TCHP vs. AC-TH?

layle

Hello everyone,

I will be starting chemo next week, but for now, I am stuck between choosing the TCHP or the AC-THP regimen. Which one did you pick and why? And if you did neo-adjuvant, how did your tumor repond to your regimen?

Amstar15

With my wife being only 39 when she was diagnosed her oncologist said that he felt more comfortable with the TCH instead of the ACTH -- due to the effects of ACTH on her heart and god forbid her cancer return the ACTH was still an option then since we started with TCH (I believe you can only have so many treatments of AC) My wife was stage 1 - lymph nodes clean, triple positive - 5cm invasive tumor as well as DCIS -- double mastectomy as well before the start of her chemo

Moderators

Hi layle and welcome to Breastcancer.org,

This is a tough decision for sure, and one that our members will surely help you sort out. You may want to share some information on your diagnosis (type, size, grade, etc.) to help your fellow members know more about your story and weigh in appropriately.

You can write your diagnostic information in your post, OR you can fill out your Profile (top right hand of screen), which will ask you all kinds of questions about your diagnosis. Once you've filled it out, make sure it's selected as "public", and it will then show up in all of your posts as a signature.

Also, you may be interested in checking out the December 2015 Chemo thread, to meet others going through chemo right now.

We hope this helps! Please keep us posted on what you decide!

--The Mods

ElaineTherese

I had AC-THP. Both AC and Herceptin can cause heart damage, so I've been getting heart scans every three months. I just finished my year of Herceptin and will be getting my last heart scan (for awhile) on Monday. My heart has been fine. TCHP can cause more gastrointestinal distress, and some BC patients have a hard time finishing that regimen. Taxol is supposedly gentler than Taxotere, but it gave me mild diarrhea anyways. A small percentage of women who do TC have permanent hair loss.

After AC-THP, my 5 cm.+ lump disappeared, and my compromised lymph node was cancer-free. I was able to have a minimal lumpectomy where the surgeon took out only a golf-ball sized amount of tissue.

Skittlegirl

I wasn't given a choice. My MO said this is what you're getting. The one tumor that I could feel, you could no longer feel by the end of the second round. Infusion times are long. The first one was about 8 hours. Now it's about 5 hours.

Mommato3

I did AC-THP. My first MO recommended this because I was young(er) and very healthy (minus the cancer part!). He said TCHP caused a lot of gastrointestinal problems and wanted to spare me. I did have a small drop in my EF but it went back up. The cancer center I went to had just started working with a cardiologist so she started referring patients who had drops in their EF. So far everything still looks good. I'll keep seeing my cardiologist for another year and then he'll release me.

exercise_guru

I did TCH I wish I could have had perjeta (TCHP)but I was node negative and less than 2 cm. I actually thought the TCH was more manageable compared to the gals in my chemo group. That last two rounds were long and tiring. You definitely would want the nuelasta shot as it drops your white counts but I think so does the AC.

Did you already have surgery or would this be neoadjunctive?

layle

I am having the neo adjuvant. I decided to go with the AC-THP to have that extra Adriamicin. I also had some microscopic cancer cells in two lymph nodes. Thanks everyone for your input.