second time with new breast cancer

Hi, Michelle. I posted to you over you your hair thread, but wanted to answer you here, too. I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with a new primary. When was your first primary? Were you on AC chemo the first time around?

I don't know how having chemo a second time will affect your hair regrowth and periods. You might want to check out the "Second or Third Breast Cancer" section of the boards and ask over there. I know that sometimes hair loss is permanent in situations where a person is on chemo continuously for years (in a metastatic setting), but I think you'd probably not be getting enough chemo for that to be the case. What has your onc said about it? 

Nash:  So sorry you have to deal with this  again. I think in large part, whether or not you get thrown into menopause is dependent upon what treatment protocol they put you on.  I had CMF my first time out at 37 and didn't lose my hair.  My periods came back for a short while after I finished 2-1/2 years of Tamoxifen, then stopped altogether.  When Iwas dx'd with the new primary on the other breast it was 15 years later.  I DID lose all my hair this time around, but am happy to report that it's all grown back, thicker and shinier than ever....best of luck...there IS life after this.

Hi, Michelle--you asked if I finished chemo--yes, I finished last December. It went fine, considering everything. I was probably in the middle of the road as far as side effects go. I think you'll be fine on the TC, since you've already gotten through ACT. You should have a lot less nausea without the Adriamycin in the mix. A lot of oncs consider CMF sort of chemo "light", so you'd have to make sure your onc was OK with that.

Something to consider with the TC is neuropathy. Did you have any trouble with that on ACT? I'd ask the onc what the effect of having a taxane the second time around will have on neuropathy symptoms. I'd actually be more concerned with that than the hair loss, since neuropathy can be permanent and debilitating, whereas the hair will come back. 

Hi, Michelle. I didn't have a taxane--I had AC with 5-fu, so I didn't develop neuropathy. My late Stage IV mom, who was on every chemo there was at one point or another, including taxol, taxotere and abraxane, developed very severe neuropathy. But she had a LOT of chemo. I do, however, know some girls who developed pretty bad neuropathy just on TACx6. But that's good that you didn't develop it, and maybe you wouldn't on the TC either. That's interesting that the onc thought TC=CMF. If that's the case, I might lean towards the CMF, especially since the hair loss is an issue for you. There's a thread over on the "Help Me Get Through Treatment" board for CMF girls--you might want to check it out and see what they have to say about the hair loss on that regimen.