Chemo regimen for Stage 2 A, no lymph nodes

RainFluff

Posting on behalf of my mom (49y/o), she was recently diagnosed with BC

Her diagnosis is as follows:
Invasive ductal carcinoma; lumpectomy done with clear margins, tumor was 3cm max, no lymph nodes involved, PET scan was clean
Pathology: Grade 3, triple negative, Ki67:50% (basically aggressive)

Chemotherapy is her only systemic treatment option, and the doctors advised 6 cycles of AC every 3 weeks. I'd like to know if anyone did fewer cycles, or other chemo drugs, or refused chemo altogether?

Trdew

Hi Rain, I’m sorry to hear about your mom, but I’ve noticed these forums are a great place for support and advice.

I’m just recently diagnosed myself and far from an expert, but I can share my treatment plan with you. My breast cancer is different from your mom’s (I actually had TWO (overachiever! LOL)—one is er+/pr+ and the other is her2+), but my other characteristics are similar. I’m 44, with stage 2a IDC, no lymph nodes and larger tumor was 3.1 cm. I’ve had a mastectomy (because my two tumors were in different quadrants) and will be starting TCH in a few weeks with 6 cycles (one every 3 weeks). The chemo was added to my plan when they realized my smaller tumor was Her2+. I was originally told only hormone therapy when they thought both were the same.

I know two examples don’t quite make a pattern, but it seems like our doctors have recommended similar treatment paths for our early stage breast cancers. I wish you the best in helping your mom decide what treatment makes the most sense for her!

Terri

vlnrph

Triple negative is usually quite nasty so I'm not surprised by AC x 6 for Rain's mom. I consider the TC regimen I had to be “chemo light"! If it would help confirm the doctor's suggestion, referral for a second opinion is an option. Not sure where you are located but going to an academic medical center might be a possibility.

Like trdew, I had two tumors of differing pathologies in separate quadrants. That situation caused me to request genetic counseling. With both of these ladies under age 50, they should probably consider being assessed for mutation testing. Even without known family history, defects can be present which may affect therapy decisions.

VL22

Hi Rain - I'm TN stage 1b and my chemo regimen is 4 cycles of AC every 2 weeks and 12 weeks of taxol.