Stage 2-recurrance percentage % risk?

Ugh. The recurrence thing is so scary. My rate is 35%. It's almost the same as chemo resistant, even though the chemo shrank my 2 nodes down to 1cm (the second one was even less. . Started out at almost 2cms!!). And my tumor was basically gone. Only 10% cellularity left. My radiation onc told me my recurrence rate was about 35% (and that's what the online tools said as well). But, my med onc said more like 20%. I hate worrying myself silly. But, I'm only 33 years old and have two kids under 4.

i dont remember mine, but i had 3nodes positive, ontamoxifen for5yrs and in my 21 st yr cancer free(Survivor Praise GOD). msphil(idc,stage2, 0/3 nodes, L mast, chemo and rads and 5 yrs on tamoxifen) found lump in shower while preparing Our wedding.

The oncotype generated a nice report that laid out all the numbers--for me, without chemo, my potential distant recurrence rate would have been 17-18%. with chemo, it was 9%--- essentially a 50% reduction. I did the chemo.... even though I had ILC. did 5 years of hormonals.... feeling great---- expect to be around for a long long time.....

Hopeful

I think the research on radiation is pretty definitive in terms of its effectiveness-- I don't remember all the stats but I remember my radiologist saying that they had over 50 years of data on it.... it would be nice to know if we really needed these things. I am not sure I really "needed" chemo--but the numbers suggested it---- I think I was a tad overtreated, but I did it willingly..... best of luck on lumpectomy. I found the surgery was by far the easiest part-- followed by radiation which was also not hard....

My recurrence rate with 5yrs of tamoxifen is 12% my oncotype was 18, k-67 11% took chemo radiation and was on tamoxifen for 4 months stop a month ago for blur vision, my Onc want to put me on zoladex and Amorasin, I am very confuse have an appointment to see my eye doctor before making any decisions....so worry about recurrence

Hello SpecialK, what is the K67 score and how is it calculated? I saw my MO last week and she gave me a 36% recurrence rate. You can see my dx below. She told me that the Oncotype dx is not done on stage 2 breast cancer, but I asked her to order it anyway. After some serious research, I see that the onco test is exactly for my type of breast cancer. I am shocked that she told me the opposite. I was devastated after seeing her. I am unclear as to why she would state the opposite of the guidelines stated in the NCCN 2105 guidelines page BINV-6.

Princess - actually I am bewildered too. My stats are the same as yours. I had Oncotype done and it was 19, so my recurrence is about 12%...somewhere around there. My Ki67 was 29%. And STILL no chemo. You are a perfect candidate for Oncotype, based on your cancer with negative nodes.

Thank you everyone for your replies. I will report back on my Onco score. My MO wrote in her notes:

-in this younger patient who is otherwise healthy, I have recommended not sending an oncotype, and instead proceeding with chemotherapy and anti-estrogen therapy. Oncotype is more well-established for stage 1 br ca, and in this younger patient, again, who is healthy, with a stage 2 br ca, I think adjuvant chemotherapy is warranted.

I'm glad I followed my gut feeling an started in on some research.

After lumpectomy, chemo, radiation, and on Tamoxifen for the foreseeable future, my MO told me that my chances of recurrance are "in the single digits". My Oncotype was 23, they did it when I had the initial biopsy. Oncotype in the intermediate range combined with positive node pushed me into chemo land. Chemo has its own problems, Adriamycin can cause heart damage and leukemia. Doctors are wise to be cautious with it. I was 48 at diagnosis

Fe princess - Ki67% is a measurement of a protein secreted by cell growth and is an indicator of aggressiveness or proliferation - it has a high/low test result in that anything over 20% is high, below is low.  It may roughly correspond to the mitotic rate of your grade - if you have your path report you should see three categories if they broke them out - nuclear pleomorphism, mitotic rate, and tubule (sometimes called gland) formation.  Each of these gets a score from 1-3 and the scores are added together for a total score of 3-5, or grade 1, 6-7, or grade 2, or 8-9, grade 3.  You could conceivably have a grade 1 tumor with a mitotic rate of 3, so unless your score is broken out on your path report you won't know.  Some labs do Ki67, some don't.  As far as Oncotype Dx goes, it is perfectly acceptable for stage II patients, not sure why your MO didn't order it.  Had you indicated an unwillingness to have chemo?  If so, there would not be much point.  If you ordered it now it might take up to three weeks for results, so that would put you at roughly over 60 days from surgery - still close enough to start chemo, but optimally you would need to start right as you got the results back to be inside the window for effectiveness - you are moving out of the country soon, correct?  How would this be affected?  I put your stats into the cancermath model and got a pretty low risk situation - an 11% mortality rate with no chemo but taking Tamoxifen, these models do not really predict recurrence.  With PREDICT, no chemo but taking Tamoxifen, 97% are alive at 5 years, 91% at 10 years, so slightly better odds than the cancermath model, but very similar.  

Thank you very much SpecialK and jilly59. I did not think that I would have to do chemo because my surgeon said with a 2.54cm tumor, no nodes, no predisposition and grade 2. When the MO told me that she was concerned that I would be waiting until I moved to Switzerland, I was shocked. The more info I uncover, the more assured I am that I will not have to do the chemo but maybe just the anti-hormonal. Thanks for all your replies. I know there is never any guarantee with cancer though.

SpecialK, I am Tubule-3, Nuclear-2 and Mitosis-1. I guess that makes me grade 2?

SJacobs - I hope you are doing better.

It's always been a mystery to me - how someone with a 1 cm tumor has positive nodes and others with a 6 cm has negative nodes. (IDC)

Is it location? Mine was at 6 o'clock, 3 mm from the skin.

I am glad i had the Oncotype DX, I got a low score, so no chemo, even with a positive nice, 1-3 nodes they were doing the Oncotype test back in 2011.

At the hospital where I was treated, they have a tumor board. All the docs look at every case and they come to an agreement about treatment. I'm glad that my docs were on the same page ad far as treatment