TN with Medullary features, ki 67 90%

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MsBliss
MsBliss Member Posts: 536
edited June 2014 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
TN with Medullary features, ki 67 90%
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  • MsBliss
    MsBliss Member Posts: 536
    edited March 2009

    I feel like I am in a nightmare. 

    I am newly diagnosed and wondering if anyone has similar features:

    I am triple negative and have a extremely high ki 67 of 90% plus medullary features.  My doctor told me I am not a good candidate for chemo, but for lumpectomy and radiation.  My tumor is estimated to be about 1 cm or a bit bigger.  This seems to contradict what I read about ki 67--that it responds well to chemo.  Could it be triple neg does not do well with chemo?

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  • MicheleS
    MicheleS Member Posts: 937
    edited March 2009

    I would get a second opinion.

    Is this your surgeon or an oncologist?  If it is a surgeon, I would make an appt with an oncologist...  My surgeon also "wasn't sure" if I'd need chemo (he's a great surgeon, just not an oncologist!) but all 3 oncologists I saw (yes, I got 3 opinions!) said chemo was necessary for my TN tumor.

    Typically, TN tumors respond well to chemo. A high ki-67 confirms that too.

    We all feel like we are living a nightmare... That's normal.  Just keep plodding along and things will get better soon.

    {{hugs}}

    Michele

    PS My signature doesn't say it but I had a mastectomy and am now doing chemo.

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  • 2z54
    2z54 Member Posts: 261
    edited March 2009

    Ms Bliss,

    My ki-67 is also 90. But, my oncologist never paid much attention to it.  It really doesn't matter what the numbers are, as long as you get the proper treatment. I was given dose dense chemo, A and T and then had a bilat. mast. with immediate recon.  I'm recovering very well from that right now.   You'll be happy to know that my lumps (I had one in each breast) responded very well to the chemo.   Yours will too.  Hang in there!!

    Sue

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  • Sherrill
    Sherrill Member Posts: 1
    edited March 2009

    Msbliss,  My ki 67 was 92% and triple negative with medullary features also.  I went to two Oncologist who told me the same thing.  This type of cancer responds very well to Chemo. I had a mastectomy and was given  dose dense AC&T.  I finished chemo in April 2008.  I am feeling well and cancer free.  It is always a good idea to get a second or even a third opinion. 

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  • cheranthia
    cheranthia Member Posts: 65
    edited March 2009

    Hi MsBliss,

    Chemo attacks fast-dividing cells, so it stands to reason that a tumor with a high ki 67 should respond well. I really don't understand your doctor's comment, unless as MicheleS suggests, he's not an oncologist. Triple negative tumors are known to respond VERY well to chemo. It's one of the few advantages we have. Just to give you an example, after 8 rounds of chemo (A/C + T), my tumor completely melted away. Even though I started out with a 4 cm tumor, I was able to have a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy. My onc says my prognosis is now excellent. I feel great and I am cancer free. There are many more stories like mine here on the boards. Chemo is no fun, but it is doable. The time goes by more quickly than you might think and hair grows back. Please do get a second opinion and remember, you only get one chance to get it right the first time. TNBC is agressive, so you must be, too. 

    I'm sorry you have to go through this. It is scary - especially at first, but you should feel less frightened and more in control once you have your plan and begin treatment. 

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  • MsBliss
    MsBliss Member Posts: 536
    edited March 2009

    Thank you all.  I have gotten two more opinions and the news is much better.  I will have lumpectomy, chemo most likely and rads.  I have seen a new specialist and he believes that the tumor is medullary in nature, unlikely to have spread to the nodes, we'll see.

    Thank you all again for your feed back!!!

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  • lalalinda
    lalalinda Member Posts: 2
    edited March 2009

    I had a ki 67 of 90% and was given ACT X 6 every three weeks.  My node decreased by 90% in 1 treatment and had disappeared by the second.  After surgery the path report showed no lymph node active disease, but still small smounts in my breast.  I'm starting radiation this week. 

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  • chumfry
    chumfry Member Posts: 642
    edited March 2009

    My first tumor (2005) was medullary and it grew fast but was kind of encapsulated so it didn't spread to my lymph nodes. I got another tumor in 2007 in other breast, but it was NOT medullary. Go figure! <grin>

    Apparently, my breast tissue just liked making tumors--first a medullary and then an IDC. Both triple negative. I had mastectomy and chemo both times, and I'm doing very well. Lumpectomy plus radiation has the same outcomes as mastectomy. I just felt better with mastectomy, especially after they discovered the second tumor.

    BC is a lot like any other bad thing that happens to you. Just keep putting one foot ahead of the other and pretty soon you'll be on the other side. I'm glad you got more opinions!

    --CindyMN

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