What Kind of Chemo for Triple Negative

My second diagnosis, DCIS ER+/PR-, was 369 days after my first one, which was TN IDC. I agree this disease sucks!

I had 4 DD cycles of AC and 4 DD cycles of Taxol. This is what my Oncologist recommended so I went with it.

I'm so sorry you've had to go through so much. Hang in there. There's lots of us to get you through this...

Linda

Kitty - I had Taxotere/Cytoxan (four treatments three weeks apart). 

I had dose dense AC/Taxol. AC every 2 weeks for 4 weeks and then taxol every 2 weeks for 4 weeks. I remember I could have been in a clinical trial where they added Gemzar to either the AC or the Taxol (I forget which) but I opted not to do that. My chemo was in 2005.

I did it because it's what both oncs recommended.

Kitty, I had Taxotere,cytoxan and adriamycin   6 treatments 3 weeks apart. No Rads

Hope2, Please share with me how it came about that you rec'd Avastin.  Were you in a study?  For those who are unfamiliar with Avastin, I will tell the little that I know.  It is a medicine that was originally developed for Colon Cancer.  It is a antiVEGF drug, which means that it shuts off the chemical in your body that makes and maintains new blood vessels.  Since new vessels are needed by tumors this medicine shuts off the tumors vessels there by depriving it of oxygen and nutrients.  And the cancer cells then die.  Avastin is being used for many different cancers now including primary site brain cancer.  a form of avastin is even being used by injecting it into the eye to manage macular degeneration(leading cause of blindness in Adults) 

I really believe that this drug and others like it that will surely follow, will be the treatment of choice in the future of breast cancer.  I wish the FDA would hurry up and finish studies and get it approved. 

Navy

Navymom, i am on the final stage trial for avastin to be approved for breast cancer that is her2 negative, my oncologist strongly recommened it, he said the big problem is keeping it away that chemo increases my chances as does radiation but not by enough really and while because it is on trial he cant tell me to use it, he thought it looks very promising. the big side effect is my sinuses and nose bleeds and just very sore nose in general, 12 months of constant sinuses infections is no joke, headaches, mucus, cough, annoyance that goes with it but hopefully it will be worth it. also affects bowel habits and blood pressure (mine was low anyway, so now normal). it also slows healing but you will still heal.

its hard to know chemo side effects that have lingered from the avastin side effects but a very easy drug to take overall, i still get it over the 90 mins but most have it reduced to 45 mins after first 3 doses, i had a reaction on number 2.

Thanks for info regarding Avastin.

Navy

jenn3, during your treatment did you have any idea as to whether you were receiving Avastin or the placebo.  One week I think.....Avastin, the next....placebo

Kristian,

You wrote that your first diagnosis was "slightly estrogen fed, now this recurrence is triple negative." Because these are two different breast cancers, you had two different primaries. My first diagnosis was TN IDC and my second was ER+/PR- DCIS. Did your doctor tell you the first diagnosis was TN?

Linda

FEC x 3, Taxotere x 3 - 2008.

Recurrence: Xeloda didn't work, now Carboplatine/Gemzar which is working.

Kittycat, when I did my chemo 2 years ago, it was at Stanford's Breast Cancer Center and the gold standard at the time was dose dense A/C (every 2 weeks)...4 total (wish I had done more than 4 up front because it knocked my tumor down) and dose dense Taxol (every 2 weeks).  I've heard of other women who kept their tumor in and Taxol desimated their tumor. 

After I did the gold standard, I had surgery and my tumor and invasive cancer was gone except for  a tiny bit in one node (after full disection of my axillary nodes).  I knew that AC worked for me because my tumor collapsed after 2 doses...could barely feel the tumor.  But my brilliant oncologist said that Taxol does the clean up job on microscopic stuff left over so both are important.

Because there was some left in one node, I did 2 more AC then carboplatin/taxotere (every 3 weeks).  I had quite a few nodes possitive to begin with so I chose to hit this cancer like crazy with chemo.  I was a single mom of 2 young kids so it was a personal choice.

I hope all goes well for you.

kittycat, it's probably too late now for your decision-making, but I was offered a clinical drug trial that treats patients with no evidence of spread beyond the tumor as if they had mets. The thinking is that the drugs normally used for mets will zap any currently undetectable micro-mets and prevent/reduce/delay recurrences. I'll have surgery after that. I have a port that I've (knock on wood) not had any problems with.

For the first half of my trial, I got Avastin every 3 weeks X 4, along with Taxotere on weeks 1 and 2, as well as Xeloda on days 1-14. I'm now in the second half, and get Avastin, Adriamycin and Cytoxan every other week X 4.

At the midway point, they rescanned and said my tumor had decreased about 60% in volume, although there was still some architectural distortion marking the area of the original outline of the tumor. I don't know if that's normal or cause for concern yet.

I wasn't blinded in the trial, although I could have chosen to be. Because it was Grade 3, I was given the option to throw everything possible at it. Now that I know I'm TN and know what that means, I'm doubly glad I went aggressive. At the time, I was just thinking I'd never forgive myself for not doing everything possible and then have it come back. If I was going down, I was going down swinging.

The nose bleeds from the Avastin are more annoying than serious. The Xeloda made my hands and feet peel and crack and some of my nails turn dark. Two of them are lifting up and I may still lose them, but they'll grow back. I had some occasional tingling and numbness in my fingers, but no serious neuropathy .

Hi Kittycat,

Sorry you're going through this again - ugh!!! 

I had DD Adriamycin/Cytoxan every other week times 4 cycles and then Taxotere every other week times 3 cycles.  I was supposed to do 4 cycles of T, but the neuropathy was getting worse so onc cancelled the last one.

I was 39 at diagnosis too, and I tell myself that I had youth and strength on my side to fight harder.   I tell myself that I got it out of the way early, so I can go on to live 50 or 60 more healthy years!

Hang in there and let us know how you're doing!  I second the opinion that you'll love your port!  My onc says I can get mine out, but I'm keeping it forever.