ONCO DX Score of 19

hello jenn

relaxed thanks to God you don't  hve high score it is not a matter u need chemo or not its recurrence rate.my score was 18 my oncologist say your recurrence is 11% and reduced up to 2 to3% with chemo i opt no chemo you discuse it with your oncologist and decide its your personol decision

My Oncotype score was 18. I was Stage 1, grade 2, ER+ And 52 yrs old.  My onc said that for me, the possible side effects of chemo might not be worth the 2-3% reduction of chance of recurrence, which with Arimidex puts me at about 12-13%. I chose no chemo, but it is a very personal choice. 

Discuss the pros and cons until you understand them and how they relate to you. 

I was 63, also a 19 oncoscore, but had micro cancer cells in my sentinel nodes, so my doctor felt I should have chemo. We went over the percentages of recurrence and while it was very confusing and frustrating, I went with four rounds of T/C chemo. I am glad on one hand as I hope it would have killed off any stray cancer cells, but I have to say that chemo has changed me. I definitely have some amount of residual "chemo brain" which means that I have trouble doing things like typing, which needs lots of correcting, working with numbers, remembering some things, and I get confused by things that shouldn't be bothering me. I almost feel as if I am becoming my mother as she aged, only much faster.  If the trade off is living disease free, then so be it, but I hadn't expected these changes.

Bummer Jenn...obviously would have been a lot easier to make THE decision if the score was lower or even higher. Remember though there are no right or wrong answers about your treatment plan - it is what you believe is best for you based on the information you have and the advice of your doctors. It is your life - your body and your decision just don't second guess yourself or look back. I know hard to do and honestly I don't know what I would do. My score was 11 so I was blessed not to have to make that decision. Lets get real here no one wants to do chemo so if we can avoid it of course we will. My sister had an intermediate score and her Oncologist told her no chemo and no RADS. She is very close to the vest so don't really know why and she lives in another state as well. She had a MX; I had a lumpectomy and 33 RADS treatments. Of course the ladies on this forum - see the treatment link can enlighten you on their experiences with chemo - some not so bad - others brutal. I can speak for RADS - piece of cake. Burning and a little fatigue...that's it. Just so you know had I not had the Oncotype test my BS said I would have to have chemo because I had a micromet in my SN. Thankfully the call was my Oncologist's and she wasn't convinced it was the right treatment plan...thus the RADS. Turn to your husband/family and friends and of course the doctors for their input and then decide. Good luck. You will be okay. We are all proof of that....diane

Good for you Jenn...keep us posted on how you are doing. Diane