"Neoadjuvant" chemotherapy anyone?

My doctor gave me a choice and I took the neoadjuvant.  She told me she'd do a mammogram after treatment 3 and if it didn't shrink we'd just go to surgery.  It's been 3 treatments and the size has not changed (3.0 x 2.2 cm) but the node is smaller (one axillary node involved).  Chemo is no picnic but I thought if it was smaller than I'd have less surgery and I'd know what chemo would work and what wouldn't.  I was surprised at the relief I feel with the possibility of no more chemo right now.  It's not horrible but is definitely not a picnic either. I'm on  Here are some questions I asked.

Ask them what the treatment will be following surgery if the tumor shrinks due to the neoadjuvant chemo.  Ask them if they will discontinue treatment if the tumor doesn't shrink.  Ask them when they will test you to see if it's shrunk.  Ask them about radiation if you have a double mass after chemo.  Some of the decisions will come after the surgery and after they dissect the tumor, but they have a protocol for different options and ask them what that protocol is.  Ask them if they'll change the chemo drugs if they are not working and how long before the check to see if they are working.

 Good luck!  I am praying for you.  Let me know how it goes!

It seems in many major cities that neoadjuvant therapy is more the norm.

I had it: dose dense AC followed by 12x1 Taxol/Herceptin.

Everyone's response is unique. For me, after 1 AC, I felt the tumor shrink. After 2, it was much smaller. After 3, the secondary tumor was no longer palpable (in the nodes) and the primary was undetectable. 

PET scan at completion of chemo was negative. All path slides at surgery were negative.

The primary tumor had been 3.1 cm, and the secondary had been 2.4 cm. This is not a common response, but it did happen to me.

Neoadjuvant for small-breasted women with big tumors is the way I would choose to go, every time.

I had neo-adjuvant chemo.  I go to Duke, thus a very large cancer center.  I did AC/T dose dense.  We didn't do any scans while I was on chemo.  My onc just felt the tumor each time I went (every two weeks) and we could feel it shrinking.  I did not have a complete response.  It shrunk to about 1/2 the original size.  We did the MRI after chemo to see how much it shrank and to see if the second tumor was still there.  The second tumor didn't show up.  They were hoping to save my breast.  However, when I talked to the rad onc I decided...take it off!  LOL  And, the second tumor which was in a different quadrant of the breast was still there...1 cm.  I had rads, but I also still had postive nodes after chemo.