Should I do chemo???

amctanase
amctanase Member Posts: 14
edited November 2014 in ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)


Hello everyone,

I am starting a new post in the hope of finding some guidance on the very hard decision of whether to do chemo or not. I know that for many that is not a choice, but in my mother's situation it seems the oncologist has made a recommendation (chemo not strongly recommended) and left it up to her.

My mom's particulars are as follows:

Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, 1.8 cm, Grade 2, no lymph node involvement (well, 2 lymphs were removed, one was completely clear and the second, when they performed some non-standard test on it, showed isolated cells, but on the report the oncologist wrote node negative). Her oncotype dx is 10. No mets.

Treatment so far: Mastectomy of the affected breast (left one).  On the other (the right) she had breast duct removal for biopsy because she had a bloody nipple discharge from there, and although the mammo, ultrasound, and mri did not show anything, the doctor removed it - no cancer found, just a dialated duct apparently...though we are still worried about that breast as well!

When we met with our oncologist, she said that chemo is "not strongly recommended" in my mother's case, but estrogen blockers are. Of course we asked if it would not be better - preventive - to do chemo anyway. She then explained to us the array of side effects from chemo, and that it would decrease her risk of recurrence by only approx 3%, and that finally it is up to my mom if she wishes to have it. We asked for a week to think about it, and here we are no closer to making a decision.

So what would you do ladies? Were any of you in a similar situation? what did you choose? are you happy with that choice?

My mom if terrified that if she chooses not to have chemo she will regret that she did not do everything in her power to end her illness, especially if she has a relapse. At the same time, chemo is not something to really do for 'prevention' and we are aware of how hard a treatment it can be...we are absolutely, hopelessly confused as to what to do. Also, it is just the two of us working on this, my father passed away last year from cancer.

Any experiences and opinions would help us shed some light on the questions we have...

Thank you all.

Ana and Camelia

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Comments

  • readytorock
    readytorock Member Posts: 199
    edited November 2014

    Sorry that your mother is going through this, but I thought I would share my thoughts.

    My cancer is fairly similar and was also given a choice whether to do or not to do chemo. Initially I decided not to - yay, right???

    I changed my mind quickly though, for exactly this reason that you state "My mom if terrified that if she chooses not to have chemo she will regret that she did not do everything in her power to end her illness, especially if she has a relapse"

    Yes, I'm doing chemo for my own peace of mind. And I am SOOOOO happy since I made that decision. One treatment down, three to go. I'll get through it.

    Best of luck with your mother's decision.

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited November 2014

    In your mom's shoes, I would skip the chemo, but take the hormone treatment religiously. I am sorry she is dealing with this, but 3% benefit is not enough, in my opinion that is. Long term side effects of chemo can be significant. If the benefit is in the double-digits, then you come to terms with the potential downside. In your mom's case, the downside is about the same as the benefit, so one cancels out the other.

    I would, however, demand a very thorough follow-up on the remaining breast for the next couple of years.

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  • Trisha-Anne
    Trisha-Anne Member Posts: 2,112
    edited November 2014

    Your mother will have to do what she feels is right for her. She could do the chemo and still have a recurrence - that's the nature of breast cancer.

    I did chemo - but until the path results came in that I was HER2+ chemo wasn't a given for me. I had both IDC and ILC. The HER2+ made chemo a certainty with Herceptin.

    Chemo can have some pretty serious long term side effects, but not everyone has problems. I had problems with one of the chemo drugs, and couldn't finish the last treatment. I now have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and problems with my teeth. Of course these are better than the alternative, but there's no guarantee that my cancer won't come back, despite having done chemo.

    It's a really hard choice to have to make, we can only tell you what we did. You and your mother have to make a choice you are both comfortable with.

    If it's chemo - then do it. If it isn't chemo then that's the right choice too - but never look back and start the "what ifs" if it comes back. It may have come back no matter what you did.

    Sending you both ((((hugs))))

    Trish

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