What to do about my wife's BC

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SimonEf
SimonEf Member Posts: 3
edited April 2016 in Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results

Hey there,

So my wife was diagnosed with early stage 1 breast cancer. She is only 29 years old. The tumor was very small, so small that when they tried to do an oncotype dx test, the results were inconclusive because there wasn't enough cancerous material to test in the sample. From what i understand, the tumor was hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative.

The tumor was removed by lumpectomy, and the lymph nodes under her arm were checked and came back clear. On top of that, from what i understand the doctors told her that they had all of the 'edges' of the tumor, though i can't independently confirm this.

Right now there is a debate among the doctors at her hospital whether she should undergo heavy treatment such as radiation and chemo or not. The surgeon in particular is having all the data checked by another specialist at a different hospital to make sure there wasn't any human error in the diagnosis. When they removed the lump, at first they couldn't even find any cancer in it, they had to biopsy it before they supposedly found it.

I am not really sure what to do or advocate for. Because my wife is so young, it would be really rough for her to have to go through all sorts of chemo and ovary suppression and hormone therapy. Yet i don't want to suddenly in five years find out that the cancer has returned and with a vengeance. Has anyone else been in this situation? Did the fact that her lymph nodes are clear and the tumor removed essentially mean that she is "cancer-free" right now, and heavy radio/chemo therapy is more for future prevention than for immediate crisis? I know i don't have the entire dataset in front of me right now, but it's just...really hard to know what to do.


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  • Artista928
    Artista928 Member Posts: 2,753
    edited April 2016

    My cousin was 30 with stats that sounds like your wifes. She was of the thought that she doesn't want to go through this again so she chose chemo and radiation and Tamoxifen. What is the ER%? Hormone therapy is the best for ER+ in keeping it at bay. If they could barely find the tumour and nodes were clear then imo, I don't see the need for chemo. As for rads, if it's that small they can barely see it not sure the benefits would outweigh the costs. Unfortunately all of us have to think about recurrence later on and "save" the amount of chemo and radiation we do as both of these do a number on your insides. I would get another opinion or two aside from what you are doing now. Good luck.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited April 2016

    Hi Simon-

    You might be interested in our forum, Young with Breast Cancer. The members who post and share there are around the same age as your wife, or were at diagnosis, and they may be able to offer some insight and advice on your wife's situation. We hope you find some answers!

    The Mods

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  • SimonEf
    SimonEf Member Posts: 3
    edited April 2016

    Thanks guys, it's nice to have some feedback on this kind of stuff, it's just so scary, and everyone around me seems to have an idea about how to go about dealing with this. i myself am kind of in the "change diet, no chemo/rads and get regular screenings to see if it returns" camp, with probably just hormone therapy alone. But it's not really my decision, it's hers, and i would feel pretty horrible if it wasn't the right call. At the same time though, i just really want to protect and preserve her quality of life as much as possible.

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  • Artista928
    Artista928 Member Posts: 2,753
    edited April 2016

    You're a great husband. I live alone/am alone and did it on my own. It's not an easy decision as there is no guarantee for any of them. But she needs to feel as at peace and comfortable with whatever she decides. Studying these forums really helps. I found more info from here than I did from medical providers. MPs are great for finding out what it is and giving options but lots of details and tips and such can only be found by people who have been through it. This board saved me and allowed me to do it on my own.

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  • ShetlandPony
    ShetlandPony Member Posts: 4,924
    edited April 2016

    Yes, the support here at BCO is so important. It is also really important to get opinions from the experts when it comes to treatment decisions, because the stakes are high. We can relate our own or our friend's experiences, but you need to hear from oncologists who have all the information on your wife's particular case, and the knowledge and experience to make the best recommendations for her. Make sure your wife gets her questions answered, and understands why the recommendations are made.

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