Deciding on Chemo: ER/PR positive; no benefits from chemo?

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Jinx27
Jinx27 Member Posts: 238
edited December 2015 in Young With Breast Cancer

Hello Ladies and Gents...

Most recently, a study has found that premenopausal women diagnosed with luminal A ( ER/PR + with low Ki67) breast cancer had the same disease-free survival rates whether or not they were treated with chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery. This means that chemotherapy offered no benefits to these women. The link is below.

Study Suggests Premenopausal Women With Certain Type of Breast Cancer Don't Benefit From Chemotherapy

Have any of you had difficulty deciding on chemo because of your ER/PR status ?

I had surgery first, BMX with reconstruction and am set to start chemo in Jan 2016, but I have yet to find extremely solid data to support chemo for hormonal receptive breast cancer patients. Most oncologist say chemo is just the standard. My oncologist is more excited about the SOFT trial for me than chemo in general.

I'm not trying to get out of chemo, I just want to make sure ( and double check) that I am making the right decision.

Please chime in ladies and gents!! Thank you.

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  • YoungTurkNYC
    YoungTurkNYC Member Posts: 334
    edited December 2015

    Dear Jinx27,

    I just wanted to respond to you. You have three positive nodes with bilateral disease and age 27. All of those things are independent risk factors that increase your risk of recurrence. Your "DCIS" cannot be pure DCIS as it went to the nodes - there has to be an IDC component even if it cannot be found. Alternatively, you have pure DCIS in one breast but your IDC from the other breast travelled to the nodes on the other side of your body. You are making the right decision on chemo. If there are any stray cells in your body, chemo is destroying them one cell at a time.

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  • Racy
    Racy Member Posts: 2,651
    edited December 2015

    Jinx, I understand it's important to be confident in your treatment choices. That study caught my eye too but I don't have a science background to understand it as well as others might. 

    You may want to get a second opinion. Having said that, at your age and with positive nodes, I would do the chemo.

    Good luck and keep in touch.


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  • Racy
    Racy Member Posts: 2,651
    edited December 2015

    Just to add, as the average age for bc is a lot older than you are, it may be that the factors relevant to the population in that study are different from the factors relevant to someone of your age.

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  • inks
    inks Member Posts: 746
    edited December 2015

    If your tumor is over 3cm you may get recommended radiation also. Chemo sucks at any age but chances are you wil bounce back faster given your age.

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  • Jinx27
    Jinx27 Member Posts: 238
    edited December 2015

    You don't understand how I really appreciate everyone's insight. Thank you, I feel like I have extras sisters, aunties and mom's on this site.

    I met with my oncologist and breast surgeon (surgical oncology) today both reassured me that chemo was the right choice they also have knowledge of the article that I've been going crazy over. I was also told my TNM staging is T2 N1 M0 for now.

    They both attended the conference in San Antonio and will be keeping an eye on the research and agree that chemo for ER PR is an okay tool to use but they both are very sure of endocrine therapy's effectiveness. Both agreed that chemo will help only a bit but combined with radiation and endocrine therapy, my percentage for survival are good.

    I will definitely read the posts on preparing for chemotherapy and dealing with side effects.

    Thank you for listening to me whine and constantly worry about this! You all are such fighters. Happy Holidays and happy New Years in advance!

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