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mowelch
mowelch Member Posts: 1
edited June 2014 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

I have read that triple negative is sensitive to chemotherapy only ~ 25% of the time. I have a friend who has been diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer and has already had surgery. Since neoadjuvant chemotherapy would declare a cancer's sensitivity to chemo, I am concerned that since she had surgery before seeing a medical oncologist, there is no no way to predict her benefit from chemo therapy, if it is indicated.

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  • mrsnjband
    mrsnjband Member Posts: 1,409
    edited April 2011

    Sorry to hear your friend has cancer.  I have to advise, but support.

    Another teacher at my school had triple-neg.  She had chemo & radiation and no surgery.  So I don't any more than that even though I am triple neg too.  I was treated for the inflamatory cancer.  I only recentily figured out the triple neg part.  Doctor referrer to it as all areas are negative, er, pr, & her2. 

    Sending good thoughts & prayers her way. NJ

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  • yellowdoglady
    yellowdoglady Member Posts: 349
    edited April 2011

    Nonsense.  Triple negatives are thought to respond better to chemo than others, and any good oncologist can say what the best chemo options are after surgery.

    That is because chemotherapy targets the fastest dividing cells, and triple negative breast cancer is a very aggressive cancer.  So chemo can provide the most benefit to triple negatives, and with radiation, the success rate can be quite good.  I was told after treatment I had a 70-80% chance of living happily ever after.  Certainly better than some older literature says.  It gets better a year and a half out, as half of those who will have a recurrence already have done so.  And, as I was told, if you are free of disease at five years, you need never worry about this cancer again.  There is no 10 or 15 year chance of recurrence.

    Get your friend to an oncologist and get her on the road to the rest of her life. 

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  • christina1961
    christina1961 Member Posts: 736
    edited April 2011

    Yellowdoglady,

    That is very encouraging odds! 

    Mowelch,

    I know many people have chemo following surgery with very successful outcomes. I have a friend who had triple negative, 5 positive nodes - stage III and had lumpectomy, rads, and chemo following surgery.  She is 5 years out with no recurrance.

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