Stage 1A IDC, Grade 3, N0 - Hormone Treatment & Chemo?

Tvanvossen
Tvanvossen Member Posts: 16
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

Hi, I've been recently diag. with IDC, Stage 3, Triple Positive, Nodes 0.  Had lumpectomy with Radiation.  Began Arimedex 3 weeks ago. Oncology dr. wants me to consider another hornone treatment (Herceptin) and Chemo (Taxol).  She also mentioned my Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO will not cover the additional treatment.  I have RA, Colitis, High Blood Pressure and Asthma.  Anyone else in a similar situation?  Help would be appreciated.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited February 2012

    Tvanvossen, the main Breastcancer.org site has a section called Paying for Your Care that has information about ways to manage the financial end of treatment, including tips to lower medicine costs. For example, many pharmaceutical companies (including the ones that makes Herceptin and Arimidex) offer medicine assistance programs that may be helpful for you.

    Judith and the Mods

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited February 2012

    Tvanvossen, it's the HER2+ positive aspect of your cancer that is driving the recommendation that you have Herceptin and chemo.  HER2+ cancers are considered to be particularly aggressive.  Herceptin is a drug that was developed specifically for HER2+ cancers and chemo is usually given to women who have HER2+ cancers that are considerably smaller than would warrant chemo if the cancers were not HER2+.

    How large is your tumor?  A Stage IA cancer can range in size from 0.1mm to 2cm - that's quite a large range and there are different treatment standards within that. There are actually 4 tumor sizes included in Stage IA: 1) T1mic (1mm or smaller); 2) T1a (> than 1mm up to  5mm); 3) T1b (> than 5mm up to 1cm); and 4) T1c (> than 1cm up to 2cm).  Right now the 'standard of care' seems to be that all HER2+ tumors that are T1b or greater (i.e. 6mm or larger) warrant chemo and Herceptin.  Tumors that are smaller than 0.6mm are in the grey zone - there is a lot of debate and discussion about those smaller tumors.

    I'd suggest that you skip down to the HER2/neu Positive Breast Cancer forum on this discussion board (that forum is just a few down the list from this forum).  There are several on-going discussion threads about treatment for Stage IA HER2+ tumors and particularly, smaller T1a HER2+ tumors (T1a tumors are those that are no more than 5mm in size).

    Hope that helps! 

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  • Tvanvossen
    Tvanvossen Member Posts: 16
    edited February 2012

    Judith and Beesie,

     Thank you so much for the information and suggestions.  My tumor is 3mm, so yes I guess your correct that puts me in a gray zone and there is much discussion and debate.  Thanks for the suggestions it helps so much. 

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