Follow up chemo for Triple Neg?

No experience. My Onc suggested me to attend Avastin clincial trial, but then found out my rpevioud low platelet problem and told me that I don't qualify.  He said it's still not clear how effective Avastin will be, if in a year or two, there is definite positive result, he will consider to put me on Avastin.

Hi there.  I did 4 DD A/C with Avastin, then 12 weekly taxols with Avastin every 3 weeks, then I did 10 Avastins alone every 3 weeks.  It was a clinical trial.  I had my surgery first then treatment.  I hope Avastin proves to be very beneficial for us.

Teresa

Hi newalex: we just had a node biopsy done on one node before the chemo so only know that she had at least one positive node (obviously, now we know it was at least two).  She had one small tumor remaining in one sentinal node and micromets in another post chemo.  If the chemo would have wiped out the cancer, she would not have had the recommendation for add'l chemo.  But, since there was some remaining cancer (although much smaller) the onc recommended the xeloda (chemo),navelbine (chemo) & zometa (bone strengthener - see studies from the San Antonio conference on it).  It sounds like there are various types of add'l chemo people are taking and I think it can't hurt to ask your oncologist if they think you may benefit from more after you are done - i think it depends how aggressive your cancer is viewed.  But I've also heard of many successful TN cases from just the original round of chemo.  My wife tolerated the first round fairly well, so we thought we should be aggressive and hit it again after surgery, as the oncologist recommended.

My wife gets Zometa once per month for 12 months, then every six months for several years, if I remember correctly.  The Navelbine is once per week for 12 weeks and the Xeloda is daily (pill) on weekdays (for 12 weeks).  How often are you receiving Zometa?

Rovergirl

How big was your tumor and nodes involvment from MRI ?

Dasatinib the original version was called Gleevic.  They did discuss this with me...you must have a c-kit receptor for this drug to work.  This is a old Leukemia drug.  Did you ladies have your receptor check? what were your percentages?  Mine was only 4% so I refused the trial.  I know someone that had a receptor of 40%...why would I do it for 4%?

Flalady

I met my onc today and he said Zometa is ony proven to be useful for bone mets, He would not give me Zometa or xelodex or dasatini or navalbine outside a clinic trial but what he said he could give me is daily pill of CM for a year (in a study). The CM stands for CM in CMF and I will by then have a 4 cycle DD EC and 12weekly taxol/carboplantin and then 1 year daily pill of CM. So they chemo span would be for 1 and half year.  What do you guys think if these make sense and do you think it is aggressive treatment to fight early TN? I had 1 cm tumor and 1 micromets in one sentinal node of 1mm. Had mastectomy and full node dissection and all clear except that tiny spot of 1 mm micromets in the sentinal node. Onc and radiologist don't suggest me to have rads as they said I had mastectomy and had one micromets in one sentinal and had clear margin, i.e. tumor was more than 0.5 cm away from skin and 2 cm away from the chest wall. He also said I won't get rads on the neck because it is unlikely anything in the neck since my axiliary nodes were clear.

What do you think? Should I get more oppinions or if the above make sense?

Newalex -

I'm not an oncologist but here's my two cents ....... get through your first round of chemo and then re-evaluate on whether you need more.  Not sure I would sign up for the CM study if the EC & Taxol was sufficient.  EC & Taxol is a very aggressive treatment and it's tough but doable - been there done that.  I agree w/ Flalady about using a maintenance drug w/ early stage TN - it's rare.  Why subject yourself to more chemo, if you don't have to.  Good luck w/ your decision.

Rover

I am not on neo adjuvant chemo, I had mastectomy first and chemo. I just feel safer if I get some followup drugs after chemo. The daily pill is very low dose and is calculated so that the risk of other things are low per my onc.  

Floridalady

Do you suggest I should stay with the program and get the daily CM pills?

FloridaLady

With my dx, 1 cm tumor and 1 micromet in one sentinal node, do you think based on what you have seen so far, that my risk of relaps is really small and my chemo is aggressive enough?

Floridalady

Most I read is to take VD and calcium, eat veg and no fatty food. what kind of alternative med did you take?

ok. Could you pls pm me?

I am in the Bisphosphonate trial.  I am in the ibandronate (Boniva) arm.  My onc said that recently he was at a conference where they presented evidence that not only did the drugs reduce occurance of bone mets, but also soft tissue mets.  I received 4 dose dense Taxotere & Cytoxan txs - last tx Nov 2008.

Wink

What is the drug called? Is it Bisphosphonate? Is it chemo, kind of Zometa?

Darling1

What is a partial mastectomy? Was your tumor close to the skin? I never heard surgery could cause mets....what did they do?

Newalex - Bisphophonates are a group of drugs including Zometa, Ibandronate (Boniva), & another one that starts with a C - something like clordranate (sp?).  All but Zometa are taken orally - yes, they are using them to treat & prevent mets.