Her2+ diagnosis
So after receiving the phone call on Friday met with surgeon today. She is recommending lumpectomy, mass is less than 5 cm and i got "a whole lot of breast" with radio and chemo. Meeting with radio and onco tommorow and surgery scheduled for 9/10. Also negative for ER/PR and biopsy showed grade 2 or 3. More details and nodes status after surgery
Comments
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I hope you are doing well Flower68. Friday phone calls are a bear. I'm glad you have the ball rolling now. I'm in a holding pattern waiting on an appointment with the Oncologist on the 14th. I hate that they tell me that I have an aggressive cancer, then make me wait. My surgeon wants to get my port in and get me started on chemo right away. Waiting and more waiting. Sending positive thoughts your way!
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hello fidget yes waiting is difficult. Waiting to see what happens tomorrow when I will see the onc/radio team. Also surgeon talked about having the tumor board meeting on Thu and my case will be discussed so the best approach is taken. I work full time so am ver busy with my patients all day long but when night comes, that's a different story. Will keep you updated. Best of luck to you and keep in touch
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So I met with MO/RO and the MO wants to have a PET tomorrow, echo done today is perfect. The RO (radio onc) wants me to start with neo adj chemo so Perjeta can be used, the other indication for the Perjeta would be metastatic dis and hopefully this is not the case. The surgeon wants to go ahead and do the lumpectomy and both MO/RO want me to have the genetic testing which will not be ready at the time of the surgery on the 9/10. I was just wondering if anyone can tell me a little bit about Perjeta and mostly what side effects are most common since I did not thoroughly discussed about this with neither of therm.
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flower - for early stage Her2+ breast cancer Perjeta is only currently approved for neoadjuvent use. The protocol is usually TCHP, and there are a couple of threads on this site with people who have used this regimen. They would be the best source of information, but it is hard to suss out which specific side effects are for Perjeta only because the drugs are given together. It seems that GI upset is the most commonly associated side effect (usually diarrhea), but both Taxotere and Herceptin can also cause this. Here is the drug's site with the side effects listed, and the threads on this site.
http://www.perjeta.com/patient/neoadjuvant
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SpecialK thanks a bunch, this is very helpful.
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flower - happy to help although I wish you were not having to deal with this. From my vantage point five years out from diagnosis I would have been happy to have Perjeta but it was not yet approved, it appears to be very beneficial when combined with Herceptin for Her2+ patients. While it is unnerving to leave the cancer in place by having neoadjuvent chemo, it does allow you to see the effect the drugs are having. Those of us who had surgery prior to chemo really have no idea if we are receiving any benefit, other than remaining recurrence free. I would recommend having a SNB (sentinel node biopsy) when you have port placement as it will allow you to have a more complete staging picture going forward should you decide to do the neoadjuvent treatment.
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SpecialK thank you so much for explaining this to me. Right now the surgeon, medical onc and radio onc want to have my case discussed at the tumor board tomorrow. It was the radio onc, awesome MD, that is pushing for neo-adjuvant Perjeta because if we go ahead and have the lump removed on 9/10 I will not be a candidate, like he said. He said is fine to re-schedule the surgery in a few weeks and meanwhile we will also get the genetic results back and this will help in making the best decision.
And congrats for the five years since dx, very close to my b-day on 9/24, wish you best of luck and many, many hugs and blessings.
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But the best music to my ears was when they said "We are going for a cure here, no doubt about it".
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Flower68, As you can see from my signature line, I basically had the same diagnosis as you in 2006.
I opted for a mastectomy, had four AC and one year of herceptin.
I am now eight and a half years out from the end of AC, and due to the ER/PR-, HER2+ tumor status, my chance of recurrence is now down close to zero. At ten years, the chance will be so low that I can be considered "cured."
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Hi Sassa, congratulations to you. My stage is much higher than yours, measured at 3cm so I am sure is more than Stage 1, I do not know, I will have the PET tomorrow to make sure is not stage IV and the thinking from the team is that I with have either 3/6 sessions of taxotere perjeta herceptin q3 weeks x6 cycles and f/up surg or x3 cycles and f/up surgery with 1 year Herceptin. Hopefully I will respond to some chemo before surgery. Re lumpectomy/mastectomy, the radiation that is done after lumpectomy will bring the recurrence down to 2% as well for lumpectomy. It is not decided yet if I will have lump/mast a lot will depend on the genetics too. I know chemo before surgery will downstage me a little but basically the protocols for stages 1/2/3 are overlapping and if you are not stage 0 or 4.
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I am HER2+ -just did AC and Taxol - with Taxol got herceptin/perjeta every 3rd infusion - My dr said the TCHP is rougher and uses this one for her HER2+ patients.
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hi, I had chemo before surgery. The tumor shrunk 60% with the first dose and at surgery I had zero evidence of cancer. My genetic testing came back neg. so my surgeon suggested a lumpectomy and lymph node removal. Hang in there ...... one day at a time
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Hi Flower: So sorry you have had to join us here at BCO, but this is a great place for information and support. I had a very similar diagnosis in 2008: 2.2 cm ER-/PR- Her2+ with extensive DCIS (and the surgeon found another .7 cm invasive tumor.) As some of the others, I had surgery first then Taxol/Carboplatin/Herceptin. And 7 1/2 years later, here I am, doing well.
Wishing you all the best.
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Good morning everyone
Thank you for all the messages, this morning I am a little bit anxious waiting for the PET to see if my cancer is metastasized or not. Big sigh and hoping for the best in this situation!
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flower def wait for surgery so you can get the perjeta it made my tumor melt away I have yet to have surgery but I've had a pet and ultrasound showingno signs of any cancer left perjetas biggest side effect was diarrhea but it's managble and worth the added benefit of fighting this disease good luck with your pet I remember the anxiety before my pet scans stay strong you will get through this!
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Thank you so much Stephmoen wishing you all the best, hugs and prayers too.
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Hi Ladies,
I have had BC three times, my last was in 2011 but this time it was a Her2. I recently went for a colonoscopy and they found two precancerous polyps. I am now thinking if it wanted to start there whats to say polyps can be someone where else in the body. I may be over thinking but has anyone had that experience where you had BC, and had precancerous polyps some one else in your body?
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Hi Manisa-
Welcome to BCO! We hope you find the support you need here.
You may want to check our our Second or Third Cancer forums. You'll find lots of great info there about multiple bouts of breast cancer, and possibly other members who've had polyps show up other places.
Please let us know if we can be of any assistance!
The Mods
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Hello everybody
So I got the email from the MO/RO saying that the PET shows a few nodes lighting up but no mets and this is great news. We will go along and start chemo probably next week so Perjeta can be added while we wait for genetics and everything else.
Please everyone just hang in there. Yesterday when they were injecting me before the scan I got so scared I thought I was gonna faint. I was feeling miserable thinking oh my God please no mets! Next to me was an 84 yo lady that turned to me and said "what the heck are you doing here you are too young to have cancer, I made it to 84 and now it got me". After that she started talking with me about her life, we laughed so hard at times that the technologists would come and peek and asking us to try to relax before the scan. But because of that awesome lady and her unique story, my yesterday afternoon was completely changed and now I remember her story better and less my terror is lessening in mind because of her. In the end she was waiting to have some other procedure done and I went and gave her a big hug and kissed her on her cheeks and were both smiling while we were going away!
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Myself and mommy waiting for MO
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Great picture and wonderful story Flower68! So glad you had someone there to calm your nerves! Good news on that PET also!
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hello fidget I have two babies: mom and pop, they live with me so I can take care of them in their golden years. But as it turned out they still have to hold my hand.
Yes pet negative and positive outlook from the team. Will start chemo on Friday
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flower, best of luck to you. I was triple positive with one positive node, and TCHP completely eradicated all traces of cancer. By the time I had surgery there was no cancer to be found in any of my pathology, and my PET scan was clear too. I am wishing you all the best and tons of hope!!!
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Cassiecat thank you so much for the kind words. This is what the team is hoping too: complete melting of the tumor. Hugs and prayers to you
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thanks for sharing your latest news and questions. I'm now waiting for another MRI and possible a boost. Another spot has been found by radiologist at Dana Farber where I went to seek a 2nd opinion. Once we know what that is we will begin chemo. I am progesterone and estrogen positive but am waiting my her2+ results. They were not as conclusive so they are reviewing those slides. More waiting. Hang in there Flower68.
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Csalazar thank you for dropping in . As it stands now will start chemo on 9/11. Thinking of you and all the ladies here
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Hi--I was diagnosed HER2+, ER-, PR- in April. Have just completed 4 months of neoadjuvant T/H/P, which has done a great job of melting the tumors away. Will have a bmx in a couple of weeks followed by AC, then rads, then, I hope, reconstruction. We are fortunate to have the Herceptin/Perjeta available to us, as my MO has reminded me.
Minor lesson of BC: spellcheck doesn't like the terminology!
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Hi rainnyc you are done with Taxol which is good news. Melting, yes it does sound good. H/P really changed the outcome for H2+ BC and it felt great when i read today "curative goal" from my team . Wish you all the best
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Good evening ladies.Hope eveyone is doing ok. As for me, i have to say that starting today we are no longer able to feel not even a pea size, or any size for that matter, from what used to be a 3cm tumor until friday 9/11. I would have not believe it but it is happening to me and I am truly amazed about the effect of the medications on this cancer. So ladies please hang in there and do not loose your hope: there are miracles out thereand we are living them.
I have to stop now, too many tears and many emotions especially looking in the eyes ofmy dear ones. Hugs and more hugs to all and each one of you.
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What a plethora of good news and happy follow ups. And mine is more of the same. Final path from lumpectomy: clear margins and neg. nodes. I meet with oncology tomorrow .
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