Any ER+, PR+, HER+ members?

I'm only stage IIB. Just got lucky with the nodes otherwise I would have been a IIIa too.

When I first landed here I didn't notice many triple + but  you'll start to see more. Remember that HER2+ status only hits 20%-25% of us. Then within that finding triple+ makes the percentage even less.

Just click on my name and read my bio. The details are all there under "Biography. BTW we are the same age too.

I am...TCHx6 then herceptin which ends this December! Woo hoo!

I am on tamoxifen, but I wonder at my age (44) if I should have an oo and switch to an AI. My onc says that there is not enough study to warrant it. Still remains a HUGE question in my mind.

Bec- FEC100 is 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide. The "normal" dose is 60 or 75 mg/m2 of Epirubicin (which is FEC60 or 75), but for those of us with cancer in the nodes, we get FEC100 (100 mg/m2 of Epirubicin). Epirubicin is red like Adriamycin and I think does basically the same thing. My onc said that Epirubicin is easier on the heart than Adriamycin. I have also heard that it is more expensive than Adriamycin. I don't really know why USA uses A/C while Canada and Europe uses FEC. I have noticed that there are some HER2+ Americans that use FEC and I assume that since Herceptin is hard on the heart it is then judged better to use Epirubicin.

I think it is basically thought that one has gotten most, if not all, of the effect out the Herceptin in the course of one year. There was a study in Finland that had the women  on Herceptin for only 16 (?)  weeks and they did almost as well as the women taking it for a full year. There is a study comparing one year vs. two years (HERA, I think it is called) but the results aren't out yet.

To be honest I don't want to be on Herceptin for more than a year. You can build up a resistance to it. Just in case there is a problem in the future I want this drug to still be an option for treatment if I need it. HER2+ status doesn't just pertain to breast cancers.
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Al is aromatase inhibitor ( only for post menopausal women chemo, surgical or natural induced… doesn't matter how).

oo is oophorectomy

TCH seems to mean Taxol/Cytoxan/Herceptin.
Not sure if it also means Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin

just barely ER positive. According to my path report anything 1% or over is considered positive. I don't think all places used the same percentages though.  I was 30% ER+ and 5% PR+. IMO I am just barely PR+
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Bec9861 We were born in the same year but if you want to say you are younger go ahead even if it is a few months. ;-)

I'm triple positive as well. Due to my low grade and low intermediate oncotype score I was on Taxotere/Cytoxan x 4 with Herceptin which I started after my 2nd TC. I think when people say TCH they are most often referring to Taxotere/Cytoxan/Herceptin. Herceptin is thought to work well with the taxanes which includes both taxotere and taxol.

I am also triple positive.  4 X AC followed by 12 X Taxol/Abraxane, had an allergic reaction to Taxol so switched to Abraxane.  Modified radical mastectomy.  6 weeks radiation.  Herceptin for a year.  I have a gene mutation making me susceptible to blood clots ruling out Tamoxifen.  I received my first injection of Zoladex and will be starting on an Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) soon.

I haven't had a period since chemo either, however, my estrogen levels are high enough that I'm still considered pre-menopausal.  This is what warrants the Zoladex injections.  I'm considering having my ovaries removed so I won't need monthly injections for years to come...  I hate the idea of more surgery, does anyone have any experience with the side affects of ovary removal?

Me too!

AC/T dose sense ,1 year weekly Herceptin and 4 1/2 years Tamox then Arimidex.

Hi Bec9861 - welcome!

I am triple positive too!( very high for all 3) Had a unilateral mastectomy and SND. Have done FEC100 X 6 followed by Herceptin at 3 week intervals. Had to stop when ejection fraction went too low after treatment #10 - restarted again 3 weeks ago and ejection fraction is 9 points above what it was before this BC ride began! I'm also on Tamoxifen, soon to be changed to an AI as I haven't had a period in over a year.. So far, so good. Looking forward to loosing the PICC line on December 31. I bike, walk and stay very active - I refuse to let this problem overshadow everything else. It's always there (all I have to do is look at a mirror) but I try, as hard as it is, to focus on living with cancer, not dying from it!

It was a bit easier, at least for me, than 3 FEC/3 taxane. I had a major issue with avoiding neuropathy, so I took my chances with cardiomyopathy instead! Had the infusion on Thursday afternoon, took Friday off and was back to work on Monday. I was able to give myself Neulasta on Friday - I took Claritin 2 days before, and after, and, luckily, did not experience any pain. I had a script for odantasedron (Zofran) for nausea - took it Friday and Saturday, as a precaution, but was not seasick. My white cell count dropped by the sixth infusion, but was high enough to be in the acceptable range to continue. The MUGA was 51 at the start and 53 at the end (virtually the same). I stayed hydrated throughout the infusion (I can't look at gatorade- I would down 3 bottles during the two hour drip). Used Biotene mouthwash religiously (seemed to work better than the bicarbonate/lidocaine/antibacterial cocktail that the pharmacist made up - but that's just me) .