Treatment Plan not Clear - anyone else?

shelbytroy12
shelbytroy12 Member Posts: 26
edited June 2014 in Stage I Breast Cancer

I have Stage II, node negative, PR+/ER+, HER- lobular carcinoma, oncatype 25.  I have one oncologist who is recommending I consider Chemotherapy followed by radiation and tamoxifen although it is not known if chemo will even help me. I have another one who is recommending ovarian suppression with radiation and tamoxifen. I am totally confused and frustrated.  You meet with doctors for 30-45 minutes and you're supposed to understand all this medical lingo, risks, benefits, side effects, etc.  One says one thing, one says another. My head is spinning and unfortunatley in my case, since my oncatype score is in the intermediate range, there is no clear indication if chemo will help and so it's up to me to decide. The more I read and hear, the  more confusing it gets. Does anyone else feel like we are put into this unfair position about having to decide critical life changing decisions with not enough info? I don't know how I can ever get to the place where I know what to do.   Anyone else in this position?

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  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 9,430
    edited August 2013

    shelbytroy ~ It's kind of quiet here tonight, but let me respond to your question as I take a break from cooking.   What you're experiencing is not unusual.  Unfortunately, there are few clear cut answers when it comes to breast cancer treatment, and many oncologists -- especially those who do not stay on top of the latest research -- tend to stick with what has worked best for their patients in the past.  I actually met with 3 different oncologists and got 3 totally different opinions.  I ended up going with the one I had the most confidence in based on a level of expertise that was clearly quite different from the other two.

    Actually, while an Oncotype score of 25 is still intermediate range, many women do opt for chemo with that kind of score -- especially with lobular bc, which likes to recur. 

    Unfortunately, we are all put in the position you described when we realize that not all doctors think a like, and not all of them are equally as good.  It's up to us to get a really fast education re. our options, and that's one of the best things about BCO -- the opportunity to talk to other women and have the benefit of their experience.

    I don't know where you live of who you've seen, but if you're anywhere near an NCI-designated cancer center, they're the doctors I would trust the most:  http://cancercenters.cancer.gov/cancer_centers/map-cancer-centers.html

    I actually ended up at one (UCLA), and that's where I found doctors I trusted enough to follow their recommendations without second guessing my decisions. I think when you find doctors of this caliber, you'll know, and it will be a whole lot easier.      Deanna

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