Is 6 days from dx to surgery too soon?

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jdeking
jdeking Member Posts: 408
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

I was dx'ed last week (1/6/09) with Stage 1, grade 2 IDC and was already scheduled for lumpectomy, sentinal node biopsy, and mediport placement for tomorrow. I will have to do chemo starting by the end of the month, then radiation, then HRT. Do you know why they would move so quickly and aggressively? I thought my BC seemed not very aggressive! I am 33 with no family hx, and they aren't going to do the ONCOtype DX. Any ideas/advice is appreciated!

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited January 2009

    I think it is probably due to your age...but this is YOU and you have the final say....you could slow them down and request they do the oncotypedx test before chemo.....the only reason I say this is because you are young and some of the side effects of chemo can be permanent....

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  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited January 2009

    jdecking, your age probably is a factor in all this.  BC is likely to be more aggressive when it occurs in women as young as you are.  Also, your tumor was HER2+, and the latest info says even very small (< 1 cm) tumors that are HER2+ ought to be tx with chemo. 

    So, unless you want or need a 2nd opinion (which sometimes is a good idea), why wait?  Why not go ahead and get started?  OTOH, if you have any misgivings about the way your case is being handled, or if there is any reason why you should not trust your treatment team, now is the time to seek advice from elsewhere.

    Otherwise, be glad.  Most of us are complaining about how slowly things are getting done and how long we're having to wait!

    otter 

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  • bre
    bre Member Posts: 89
    edited January 2009

    had my mast 5 days after biopsy results showed cancer.  Wasn't too soon for me.  Onc started chemo before 3 weeks was up because he said it would respond better to the chemo then.....bc cells were hungrier because mother tumor was gone and would gobble up the chemo.  I was also considered young and it was her2+++ so they moved fast and aggressively.  Almost 5 years later and I'm doing great.

    grade 3, nuclear grade 8, stage 1, er+/pr-/her2+++, tumor 1.7cm plus malignant microcalcifications.  mast, port, 4 rounds a/c, no recon

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  • Alo123
    Alo123 Member Posts: 308
    edited January 2009

    I bet it has to do with their schedule.  I would not read anything into it.

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  • trk_koa
    trk_koa Member Posts: 55
    edited January 2009

    I wanted the surgery ASAP. I got my biopsy results on a Thursday and had surgery the following Tuesday.

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  • Marple
    Marple Member Posts: 19,143
    edited January 2009

    I waited weeks for bx and then surgery.  The only good thing was I had time to gather info. 

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  • bluedasher
    bluedasher Member Posts: 1,203
    edited January 2009

    I got my initial biopsy (just that it was definitely IDC but we were still waiting on receptor status) results on Tuesday after Labor Day. I met with the surgeon the following Tuesday and got the full results (HER2+ ER/PR-). He was ready to operate that Friday, but I needed time to decide between mastectomy and lumpectomy and I had a business trip that I wanted to go on if possible so I asked if there was a medical reason to be in such a hurry. He replied that he just didn't like to keep women waiting for the surgery but there would be no harm in waiting a couple of weeks.

    I had a lumpectomy and SNB at the end of the next week after I got back from my trip.

    I started chemo 5 weeks after that.  That was based partly on my business travel schedule - starting then put some meetings I wanted to attend during chemo during the third week of my chemo cycles when I am able to travel and be fairly normal. They wanted the incisions to be well healed before chemo started so I don't think they would have started much sooner than that. Maybe chemo could have started a week earlier.

    With HER2+ there isn't any reason to do oncoType. HER2+ indicates that the cancer is aggressive. There were reports recently from retrospective studies on women with small HER2+ cancers that didn't get chemo. One study looked only at women with cancers less than 1 cm and found that more than 20% had recurrences within 10 years. For HER2- cancers recurrences were much less common.

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  • jdeking
    jdeking Member Posts: 408
    edited January 2009

    Thank you all so much for your replies, that is comforting. I had the surgery, and should get results Monday. I am already back at work, so I have to say it is not too bad so far! The medi-port actually hurts more than the lumpectomy/node removal sites! I appreciate you all taking the time to reply, and I wish you continued luck!

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  • jdeking
    jdeking Member Posts: 408
    edited January 2009

    Good news - HER2 ended up negative with FISH.

    Bad news - 2 of 3 nodes positive on SNB, 2 margins not clear on lumpectomy. So it is back to surgery again tomorrow! Anyone had the axillary node dissection with drain? How bad is that drain? Do you think it will be feasible for me to return to work Monday? I do have to work with my arms, but can maybe do paperwork only for a day or two.

     Thanks again all! Your knowledge is so invaluable!

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  • Lories
    Lories Member Posts: 351
    edited January 2009

    Hi jd - I had a drain with my lumpectomy.  The caveat to getting it off was I needed to have a certain flow (5cc) 3x (measurements were 12 hours apart).  I ended up staying in bed for a few days I was so ready to get it out.  My doc's office confirmed, the less you do, the lower the flow. 

    I got mine off in a week - and I even fibbed - I was 7 cc, not 5.  It was not bad, but every once in awhile I would drop it and then the tubes pulled on my skin, ouch.  I ended up stuffing it in my pocket or taking a lanyard from a conference and hanging it around my neck like a huge pendant.  My drain was a suction thing that looked like an oversize hockey puck.

    You should be able to go back to work, you can camo it under clothes.  I was sensitive about having it look odd, and didn't want to gross anyone out with having tubes coming out of me, plus I was afraid I would drop it.  best of luck.

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  • maryfan
    maryfan Member Posts: 16
    edited January 2009

    Why are you so keen to get back to work . Be kind to yourself !

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  • jdeking
    jdeking Member Posts: 408
    edited January 2009

    I did manage to make it back into work today. The surgery was not too bad this time around, and the drain isn't terrible. I am able to pin it to my clothes and hide it well. Not moving my arm is a little harder to deal with.

     I had just changed jobs in August '08, and am still in a "probationary period" until mid-February, so I need to miss as little work as possible to save my job and keep my health insurance! But really, I also like the distraction that work provides. It makes the days go faster!!

    Hope everything is going well with you Lori! Take care!

    Janine

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