Something I Wonder About Since My First Onc Consultation

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Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

Ok, .  I have no clue what my oncotype dx number is or if I even had one.  My onc never discussed this.  I do remember that my very first visit with him he told me my cancer had a 50 to 75% chance of reoccurring if I didn't go for treatment, and how committed was I?  Then he said I was a candidate for a trial. But after finding out I had a brain hemorrhagic stroke 5 years ago, he told me I could not be in the trial.  So, does everyone who is diagnosed with Er & Pr + get an oncotype dx ?

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  • Desny
    Desny Member Posts: 371
    edited March 2010

    Hi Shanagirl,

    I don't think everyones oncotype is taken.  Mostly this test is to try to get an idea on what would  benefit the person in terms of treatment.  I know I went into a trial since I am stage 1 no nodes positive.  I came back a 19 - in the gray area - I let the computer decide if I got chemo.  Yup, I was chosen.  I went with it because I wanted to throw everything I could at the cancer.  I think in your case, you did not qualify for the trial because of the stroke.  Did you do chemo?  I thought that the treatment as to chemo or not was large tumor or number of positive nodes. 

    Hope this helps.  Stay well

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  • KerryMac
    KerryMac Member Posts: 3,529
    edited March 2010

    Oncotype is used for people falling into the "grey" area of Chemo usefulness. For some people, there is only a small survival benefit, so the Oncotype test can tell is your risk of reoccurance is higher than the risk of Chemo. It stops you going through chemo if you would get little benefit from it, and more benefit from just hormonals.

    I think the general belief is that all us Stage 3 girls need Chemo, so it is not done on us.

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  • caaclark
    caaclark Member Posts: 936
    edited March 2010

    I don't think the oncotype test was being done regularly when I was diagnosed over 4 years ago.  But, like Kerry said, if you are stage III I think it's a given that you get chemo.

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  • KorynH
    KorynH Member Posts: 301
    edited March 2010

    I was not a candidate for the onco type because I was Her2+. Chemo is a "given" if you are her2+ even if you are node negative and low onco score or even low staging.

    This is how I understood it, anyways.

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  • mabels
    mabels Member Posts: 14
    edited March 2010

    Many times if you have positive nodes or other indications that chemo is warranted, the Oncotype test would not be needed

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  • Leah_S
    Leah_S Member Posts: 8,458
    edited March 2010

    Yep, I'll just echo what everyone else said. No point in doing an oncotype test since Stage III  gets chemo, no questions asked.

    Leah

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  • weesa
    weesa Member Posts: 707
    edited March 2010

    I finally did the onctotypeDx when I was over six years out with archived tissue my hospital had saved in parafin. This was one of the single most useful enlightening things I chose to do, and well worth the expense. I was struggling with the aromatase inhibtors and having awful side effects. I did not think I could take them another minute and yet I didn't want to jeopardize all the surgery (17) chemo's (dose dense AC-Taxotere) and 7 weeks of radiation I had endured. The oncotypedx came  back as an 18, and I felt okay about stopping the AI I was taking. It has given my a peace of mind and a better understanding of my particular cancer than I could ever have had any other way. I had to know what it was, and doing so has given me closure and a sense I did all that was necessary for a relatively-- and unexpectedly-- low score.

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  • karen1956
    karen1956 Member Posts: 6,503
    edited March 2010

    I don't remember hearing about the oncotype test 4 years ago, but I was node positive even before Mx.....so chemo was in the cards from the get go...

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