Oncotype dx

Maulwurf1

I was dx'd on Dec. 22, and had a bilateral mastectomie on Jan. 30, with te, nipplesparing. Sentinals came back negative, so I just assumed no radiation and no chemo. Now all of a sudden I realize I might have really snowed myself. Is it possible that I still will need chemo? Even with negative lymphnodes?

Luckynumber47

Dear Maulwurf1, so sorry you have had this diagnosis but it sounds like you have weathered surgery and are well on your way to healing.

Many things play a role in deciding chemo and your Drs will be the best source of info for this but you can get a good idea where you stand from your pathology report. What type of cancer did you have, what is the stage and grade? Are you ER/PR positive or negative. Are you HER2 positive or negative? Do you know your Oncotype score yet. Your age is also a factor.

Let's say you had IDC, stage 1, grade 1, no LVI, ER/PR Positive and HER2 negative. It's a good bet your Drs would not recommend chemo for such a slow growing tumor when Tamoxifen or the AIs will be very effective for you. If you are HER2 positive or triple negative then chemo is pretty much a sure thing. It all depends on the makeup of your tumor, not just positive or negative nodes.

If you fill out your stats on here I bet you'll get lots more answers

Maulwurf1

luckynumber47, thanks for your answer. I will find out my score today, I am just very nervous. Throughout this whole process I thought I was informed because I read everything my doctors gave me. I was asked not to look it up on the Internet. Wow, do I know better now.

Luckynumber47

So, Maulwurf1, what did your Oncotype come in at and did they give you a good explanation of what all the numbers mean? Chemo can always be offered but it comes down to a risk/benefit ratio. Does the percentage of chemo's benefits outweigh the risk of side effects. Some ladies want to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at their cancer. Some, like me, play the numbers game. My dr would have had to prove to me that chemo was absolutely necessary before I would go ahead with it. Luckily my Oncotype was low enough (18) that the discussion never came up. Also on our side, Drs are using chemo less and less for slow growing tumors like ours, so we can dodge that bullet and go on our merry way. I couldn't believe it when my dr explained my options. Wait, what? I have this cancer that I'm sure is fatal and you're telling me that not only am I going to survive it but all I need is surgery and then take these tiny little pills and in a couple weeks I'll be fine. Wow, so much easier than I ever dreamed. (To be honest, recovery took more than a couple weeks and I'm still dealing with the uncertainty this diagnosis brings but on the whole, things are awesome)

From the stats you posted,your pathology looks extremely favorable. You can look up your pathology here on BCO for some really good answers. In fact, my dr had this site's info printed out for me to explain my pathology.

I really have very limited knowledge about staging but from what I've read here, if your nodes are negative then your staging would be 1a, not 1b, so even better

Keep us posted with your results.