Stage 3a IDC scared please help

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cdelaughter
cdelaughter Member Posts: 4
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

Three weeks ago my mom went to the Dr. because of a lump that had been growing in her breast for about two months. She assumed it was a cyst because she has had so many in the past. Three days later she found out that is was a big, fast growing tumor. She had had a mammogram only 6 months prior to this. Anyway, they scheduled surgery and removed her one breast and lymph nodes the following week. The tumor was 6.3 in size. It had spread to her nodes. Her path report said that she is ER negative, PR negative, but HER2 positive. She was diagnosed with stage 3a cancer. Her Dr.'s told her that she will have "The red devil" chemo treatment for three months. She will go for chemo every other week and then she will have to go in to take Hercptin once a week for a year.

I am so very scared. I haven't done a lot of research but from what I have read her being ER-, PR- and HER2 + does not sound very good at all. What is the mortality rate? I am also confused on what is the "Red Devil". I can't seem to find much about it online. Has anyone had this cocktail of chemo? 

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  • adenacb
    adenacb Member Posts: 89
    edited December 2009

    Sorry to hear about your mom. Er- and Pr- simply mean that her tumor is not responsive to estrogen or progesterone, so hormone therapy isn't an option for her. HER2+ means that she can receive Herceptin treatment, which is a good thing. I haven't heard of  the "red devil," but I looked it up and it seems to be a very standard chemo treatment, which seems like the right thing to do if her cancer has spread to her nodes. Wishing you both the best of luck.

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

    hi!

    The "red devil" refers to the Adriamycin component of the standard ACT chemo treatment. It is called "red devil" because it is a red liquid that is injected into your IV chemo line separately at the end of your chemo session. It takes about 10 minutes to administer, at which time I was always given ice to chew on to prevent mouth sores. Administering this combo every two weeks is referred to as "dose dense", and it is a standard of care treatment particulary for triple negative bc. 

    It was doable!  Sounds like your mother is in good hands. Best of luck on this journey!

    sue

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