How many Stage III gals never go to Stage IV?

I am IIIb because I had inflammatory breast cancer.  It has been 3.5 years with no reoccurance. The odds for reoccurance is in the first 2-3 years & for the first 5.  So far so good! NJ

If you look at the American Cancer Society 5 year statistics, they are very discouraging.  They are also very out of date as reflect patients treated ten years ago.

I am not going to share these, but rather want to share the 10 year survival statistics from MD Anderson.  These are for regional disease, and include Stage IIb and Stage III.

• For women diagnosed, between 1985 and 1994, 10 year survival was 57.4%
• For those diagnosed between 1995-2004, it was 74.1%

I would think we should expect similar improvements for the group diagnosed 2005 or later.

The article can be found at:

http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/news-releases/2010/md-anderson-study-finds-increases-in-five-10-year-survival-at-every-stage-of-breast-cancer-over-six-decades.html

I found this point very interesting considering all the discussion about the value of conventional therapies.

"A number of MD Anderson's research milestones have impacted clinical care and breast cancer survival, both at the institution, and beyond, says Buzdar, including: combined modality approach to the treatment of the disease; utilization of systemic therapies prior to surgery; refinement of
chemotherapies, specifically the incorporation of anthracyclines, taxanes and biologics, and newer hormonal agents like aromatase inhibitors."

The table showing improvement over the years is so very encouraging.

One other point is that "Overall" is only that of MD Anderson, so cannot be compared to cancer patients throughout the US.  But you can look at local, regional, and distant disease and see what is possible with excellent treatment.

Such amazing news about overall progress. - Claire

Thanks Claire!  I was hoping to find the full text of the study but no luck.

Anacortes Girl.....think just a press release summarizing statistics from MD Anderson.

I posted because I think reflect where breast cancer treatment is going, as opposed to the national stats that include everything, including those who forego any treatment.  These are also more current.   Importantly, they show the effect of advances in treatment on survival.

I think CancerMath uses something similar in their algorithms.  Because stats are so much more favorable than what the American Cancer Society provides.  I also find CancerMath statistics consistent with trials for the chemo protocol I received.

I will be very curious to see what Adjuvant Online gives if and when they release 9.0.

One of my big learnings when I first reviewed the earlier studies that SWOG 0221 is a follow-on to, was how much better the survival statistics were vs the ACS ones.  Then the light dawned.  These women completed the therapy!!!

Even women in the control groups (2nd Generation AC + T) were much better than the population as a whole.  Very important learning.

I was treated at Group Health which does share some resources with Swedish.  I thought Dr Tien-Bao Chao did a superb job with my surgery, and my oncologist was certainly up on the latest research (I have someone else now). 

One of my learnings from this experience is how happy I was not to have to "doctor shop".  Someone from Canada mentioned this, and I was happy to be referred to the best person for my particular issue.  (Similar to a Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 support model in technology.)  I could say no, or ask for a second opinion, but I was very happy with the care I got.

And so happy not to have to doctor shop.  I knew I had the right person when the people booking my appointments would say "O good, you have......"

It is also great being within a system with online medical records.  Your history is updated, so the next person in line just updates.  So efficient, and it's all there.

This was really helpful when I finally circled back to my Internist (who I had never met, as needed all the exams done prior to treatment, and this was a new health system for me) and say: "you can see I have had quite the year".

And then, he could check to make sure all the rest of me was OK.  It was.

Just wanted to share that my sister had Stage III breast cancer in 1984.

She had a BMX and chemo and just celebrated her 27th cancerversary!

Hi Sweetbean.... The major difference between 2nd and 3rd generation AC + T protocols is whether dose dense or not.  So whether you did every 2 weeks vs every 3 weeks (2nd Gen).  Prior to Neulasta/Neupogen support they couldn't give you AC every 2 weeks because your immune system would tank too far.

With Herceptin, there may have been other factors in the decision.  I don't know.

SWOG 0221 was designed to test whether Dose Dense (the control, and what I got) or Metronomic (weekly, lower dosing) was superior.  The other part was weekly Taxol vs every other week.  That was the initial study. 

That was closed back in December, and now Dose Dense AC is being tested with weekly vs every other week Taxol.

I think some preliminary findings will be available about this time next year.

The way the initial study was set up, I got six DD AC vs four which is the standard for 3rd Generation protocols.  I can say that I was OK, but would have found it very hard to do seven.  I don't think we will know for a number of years if any survival benefit.  There was more toxicity though.

The continuation now is doing the standard 3rd Generation for AC (four DD).

You can find more information if you do a search on SWOG 0221 on the Southwest Oncology Group site.

sweetbean....suspecting the DD AC + T has already knocked those suckers to kingdom come.  Important with Herceptin is to do for one year, which I am sure is the case.

Am sure you will be just fine. - Claire

Just chiming in to say that I've been ned for 3 years now.

I'm another TAC x 6 lady. I finished my first four doses just about three years ago and was preparing for surgery. I had two more doses after surgery. They were all three weeks apart except for the surgical break.



After thinking about it I'm very glad I had it that way as I was able to continue working without much problem. I only had to take a couple of days off every three weeks. I have people working for me now...healthy people...who do that as a normal thing, lol.

And me too - TAC X 6, 3 weeks apart in 2006 (oh, how I loved that third week!). Still NED & forever hopeful...

Julie

Hi Nancy and Ladies,

I am stage 3 also. I hope you don't mind me saying what a wonderful thread this is.  I love to read or hear positive stories. Thought I would share mine... I really think us stage 3 girls are going to change all those old stats we read.  I just keep hearing so many positive stories now that I too have BC.  I rarely speak about my BC to people,but needed to buy my first bra after recon surgery.  The lady that helped fit me was so nice. Somehow I told her about my BC and so on. Turns out she had stage 3 breast cancer 17 years ago and back then treatments were not quite as good. She said her cancer was kind of scary,but here she is doing fine.  I think I was supposed to meet her that day I guess. All those stories make me very hopeful. Thanks for sharing and blessings to all of you

Kim

Hi jpsgirl96,

 Thank you for your post. I so agree with your thoughts and I am going to look into that book.

Thanks,

Kim