Is our prognosis really poor?

New, I had my ovaries (and most of my uterus) removed for a couple of reasons: 1. To get rid of estrogen production. 2. To go on an AI instead of tamox, given family history of endometrial cancer. 3. To protect against mets to ovaries, a popular spot for lobular cancer to go next, and besides my mother had ovarian cancer. 4. To get rid of some huge fibroids in my uterus that caused me various problems.

I was 47 at DX and probably peri-menopausal already. I was 48 by the time we got rid of the ovaries, so I figured I was close to actual menopause anyway. The latest studies show that AI is better than tamox for lobular cancer anyway, so I am happy I chose as I did.

sbelizabeth

Everything I have read about metformin is really promising- I don't know the exact medical terms of how it is supposed to help , but my understanding in simple terms is that is theorized that it stops cancer cell growth-  There is lots of literature about metformin and breast cancer and you can even do a search on this thread about it.   I have read that some oncs are just prescribing it, some folks are in a trial ( and there are tons of trials for metformin) and some are just going to family doctor and getting it after giving them some research info.     

I am interested in the study you referenced-  where your received more chemo - xeloda and navelbine.  I am too far past chemo I think  , but at that point I would have taken more just for added insurance.   Can you tell me more about the study>?

http://bcaction.org/2011/12/09/san-antonio-breast-cancer-symposium-2011-day-3/

Luckypenny, here's a link that briefly explains the GeperTrio study. 

cherylinohio this is a hilarious thread, luv it.

no way a person with as much zest for the good things you once had that being bad food, bad wine, some good pot and hopefully a bad man could ever contemplate giving up the fight.

momine - im waiting for brca 1/2  test results to come back and even if im not positve im still going to get ovaries taken out and good breast removed and with what i know now cant understand why they never took 2nd breast off back then.   oh well never mind im going for reconstruction in about 8 months so at least if i have good one removed  they will be the same shape when reconstructed., love to have my titties back where they should be.  

not dead or dying today so fubc   - you  are not going to stop us living whilst we are alive.

keep on keeping on..

xx

I now read another article that says 1.8% improvement in stats for men, only 1.4% improvement for women but I was wrong, it is for years 2000 through 2009.  Not the thirty years I heard elsewhere on the news.  I give up -- does anyone have "reliable" information? 

Cheryl: The majority of the money for Komen & other organizations goes to line the pockets of CEO's on down the line.  I'm sure of that since so progress has been made in such a long time.  I mean honestly they are doing the same treatments (tamoxifen), rads, surgery that they did 40 years ago.  Not very encouraging, but yes I do think some of the stats MUST be outdated.  I think we BC ladies deserve so much better than this. 

Liv, I had to change surgeons to get both boobs lopped off. A friend of mine who had been through it told me it was an option. The first doc wouldn't do it, since the breast was healthy (or so he thought). Initially, it was mainly for my peace of mind, and to avoid frequent mammos and biopsies. Then I found out it was lobular cancer. The path report showed all kinds of fun stuff in the "healthy" breast: LCIS, DCIS, hyperplasia, bla, bla, bla. I looked at my doc and said, "So I would have been back within the year, huh?" He nodded.

Cherylin, like the idea of the exploding boob. I am also thinking that FUBC ought to become a hashtag on Twitter.

Elizabeth, thanks for posting that study. I had neo-adjuvant, and my tumor did shrink dramatically after the first two rounds of chemo, so I guess I would have been in the non-navelbine follow-up group.

unbelievable monmine,  thank goodness its off now.

yes it would be a great logo for breast cancer FUBC

im over the pretty pink, like cancer is a beautiful rose petal,  think not!

xx

what the?   90% recurrence rate for stage 3?   Then 63% chance of not recurring from a doc in the US?  I guess it depends on what digital calculator or site they use?   scary stuff... too bad I have a fatty liver or I would drown my anxiety in wine tonight.

I don't get it?  Did anyone elses onc go through their recurrency rate step by step?  ie with surgery then this, with surgery and rads = x % with surgery, rads and chemo= x% and then surgery rads, chemo and ai's =x%?  

Luckypenny, no, my docs did not do that, but nor did I ask. The first year I was mainly focused on geting through the treatment.

luckypenny my onc says dont believe what you read and he is always doing trials and gathers stats himself for australian research.

he would never say to me you are going to be blah blah, sure he knows im a high risk but he also tells me stories of ladies that were written off by other onc by their stats and he is still treating them years down the track and i honestly dont believe he is just blowing his own trumpet. stats are shite!

x