Triple Negative ?

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pcollins
pcollins Member Posts: 26

Good Evening,

I just received the results of a test for HER2neu and was told it was negative.  So, I am ER / PR / HER2neu Negative.  What are the treatment expectiation for this?  I am also Nuclear High Grade Comedonecrosis - tumors were 4.9cm's.  Clean margins and negative sentinel nodes.  Reading these histories  / outcomes is very helpful.

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

    Most likely you would have chemo, surgery, then radiation.  The type of chemo may depend on the peference of your doctor.  My primary is inflammatory bc but I was also triple negative.  I had 3dd A/C Adriamycin/Cytoxan & 12 Taxol.  After 8 Taxol I was switched 3 1/2 Taxotere. I had a bi-lateral Mastectomy, my choice & complete node dissection on bc side.  Then I had 5 weeks of rads & 5 boosts. Treatment has been successful for me. I had no recurrence in 4 years.  I have had some side effects of treatment. Some neuropathy in my hands & feet but the rads severely burned my mastectomy scar.  I started getting cellulitus. Orginally I wasn't going to do reconstruction but after all the infections I finally proceded and just finished Stage 1 & 3 of DIEP.  I am very happy with the results.  

    A good place for a second opinion would be MD Anderson in Houston, Tx. You can refer youself.

  • LisaAlissa
    LisaAlissa Member Posts: 1,092
    edited December 2011

    Hi pcollins!

    First, a question:  Was there any mention of any IDC in your pathology report?  If there was, then the treatment recommendations will be based on the IDC diagnosis, instead of the DCIS.  If that's the case, Norma June's experience will be most helpful to you (and you may want to confirm your stage with your medical oncologist...if there's any IDC, you'll be staged at "I" instead of "0").  We sometimes see posters here who have much, much more DCIS and so assume that that is the relevant diagnosis.  Unfortunately not.

    If however, you have pure DCIS (no IDC at all), then chemo wouldn't be usual.  But it also isn't usual to test for HER2 with pure DCIS (except in the context of research).

    So tell us a bit more...

    LisaAlissa 

     etc:spelling

  • lioness1111
    lioness1111 Member Posts: 19
    edited December 2011

    P collins,

    Your thread is intriguing.  I started looking for info on Triple Negative DCIS, and didn't find much.  I understand it is a rare bird, possibly short lived and transitory on the way to invasive BC.   That said, I have received consistent medical advice that chemo is not indicated for pure DCIS, even high grade ER/PR negative, reason being that non-invasive does not warrant a systemic treatment.  It makes sense for invasive TN, because the targeted treatments are generally not appropriate.  The gold standard here for DCIS is lumpectomy plus rads, or mastectomy if DCIS is large or multifocal, and testing for Her-2 is not done routinely.  I am being tested only because I joined the B43 DCIS Herceptin study.  If Her-2 positive, I am willing to go the Herceptin route of two treatments.  If not, and mine turns out to be TN pure DCIS, I feel that lumpectomy and rads will suffice.  But I look to hear other perspectives.   As you pointed out, the shared histories and experiences are incredibly helpful. 

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