Oncotype 18, ER 8.4, PR 7.7, Mitosis 1

dense
dense Member Posts: 48
edited June 2014 in Stage I Breast Cancer

Hi,

I just got my Oncotype results from my surgeon, and am getting ready for the meeting with the oncologist.  My tumor is 1.7 cm, node negative, and I am 46 yo, pre-menopausal. Unfortunately, it seems that Oncotype would not help with the decision making.  I am in the intermediate category for chemo benefit after tamoxifen.

What I am unsure about is  how to quantify the benefits of tamoxifen and chemo.  My tumor is slow growing -- so from what I read on this board, chemo would not be a lot of help.  My ER and PR scores are on the low side of positive, so it seems that tamoxifen might not be of great benefit either. But I have not been able to find any information that quantifies the benefits of tamoxifen depending on the ER, PR scores; one the other hand a lot of people on this board and some research papers state that the larger the scores the higher the benefit.

I would like to try to understand the benefit of tamoxifen better.  With the score of 18, my recurrence risk is around 11%.  While for many people that's half the risk without tamoxifen, I wonder if for me, the risk without tamoxifen might be just 15%, and maybe the benefits of tamoxifen and chemo on their own are roughly equal.  And maybe in this case it is better to just do chemo and be done with it, and not have to take tamoxifen for another 5 years.  

Was anyone else in the same situation?

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Comments

  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited November 2011

    Who told you that you are on the low side of hormone positive?

    I had a score of 20 and 2 oncos and my breast surgeon told me chemo would be putting myself at risk for other side effects...

    wait to see what your tumor board says.

    Good luck.

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  • dense
    dense Member Posts: 48
    edited November 2011

    Thanks wallycat.  Got one opinion against chemo.  Going for a second one in a couple of hours. 

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  • mdg
    mdg Member Posts: 3,571
    edited November 2011

    I had an oncotype score of 17 and had a BMX.  I had one med onc say no to chemo and the other recommend it.  I was also 45 and pre menopausal when diagnosed.  I had angiolymphatic invasion though and was grade 2 so I decided on chemo mostly be because of angiolymphatic invasion.  I would get a second opinion.  I am strongly ER/PR+ so tamoxifen was a given.  I am doing pretty well on it and started it in June. 

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  • dense
    dense Member Posts: 48
    edited November 2011

    Hi mdg,

    I got a second opinion today.  And this MO also did not recommend chemo, so that's two for two. I don't know what the size of your tumor was, but it sounds like it is very similar to what I have.   I also had BMX.  Don't know how it will all work out for me at the end, but I guess I'll stop here and won't look for a third opinion. I'll just take tamoxifen and my chances.  Chemo would also be a gamble.

    Thank you for your advice.  We have so much data here about what different people have done. I heard on NPR today about the research the VA is doing using electronic medical records, I bet there could be a lot of research done using data we could gather here.  So interesting that when diagnoses are so similar, recommendations can be quite different

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  • PLJ
    PLJ Member Posts: 373
    edited February 2012
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  • dense
    dense Member Posts: 48
    edited November 2011

    Hi PLJ,

    Thanks for sharing your decision and for u/s advice.  I'll check with my ob/gyn.   Best of luck to you too.  

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