>80% (possibly >90) cure rate w/ surgery alone-Chemo Yes or No?

Hi Confused, those stats don't sound right for Her+ without chemo/Herceptin. Hopefully some with Her+ will come along to help.

Best Wishes!! 

Hi C&O

Until one is dealing directly with bc, one tends to think that medical treatment is rational....

The confusion you have about the numbers is normal. With all of us being diagnosed with one name for the condition, it seems like the explanation would be simple. But the mutations for breast cancer are different among us all, and so "THE answer" (treatment) is very difficult to accurately use effectively with any given person. While the good news is that the vast majority of early stage patients (and especially those with cancers as small as yours) need no further treatment beyond surgery/removal of the cancer, the bad news is that no one can say for certain which individual persons will need further treatment.

One good way to break the numbers down a bit more would be to find out just how much additional benefit can be had by doing 1) surgical or other ovarian ablation as an alternative to chemotherapy to achieve menopause, 2) radiation, if you are doing a lumpectomy, 3) hormonal treatment with tamoxifen.

That still won't bring the number down to zero risk, but if you throw into the mix your own general health characteristics, you can see whether they reduce your risk even further -- such as including whether or not you are overweight, whether or not you smoke, whether or not you have the benefit of being a consistent exerciser, whether or not you eat an organic/healthy diet, etc. because those things do increase the risk of recurrence or reduce those risks.

Even tiny cancers can turn out to have spread to other parts of the body, as others will also tell you, and at present there is no reliable scan or blood test to detect the tiny spread.  That is why (the "fear" factor), many with tiny tumors still choose to do all treatment possible.  It is a very individual decision to make.

AlaskaAngel

I second what Susan said. Several opinions can make the final decision easier. I am surprised that your onc would use the word "cure". That strikes me as irresponsible.

I too think using the word "cure" for breast cancer is risky and premature.

If a person with your dx refuses chemotherapy, some oncs will prescribe Herceptin alone rather than with chemotherapy, followed by hormonal therapy. Insurance may or may not pay for it, and it is quite expensive.

Thanks VR for the shout out!   I did reply privately to momand2kids.  In case you hadn't found my thread that talks about all the research, here it is:

< 5 mm HER2+ IDC...why NOT chemo??? 

This thread is for < 5 mm, but you will see MUCH of the research covers < 1 cm HER2+ tumors which applies to your case.   I hope this helps - I fully understand your dilemma and completely empathize!!!   I waffled so much in making my decision....ugggh!  We are here to support you no matter what you decide, just make sure you are well informed before making that decision.