Time between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery(6 vs 8 weeks)?

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yan123
yan123 Member Posts: 13

I wonder if waiting 7-8 weeks is acceptable? My mom has IBC (stage 3, HER+, ER+). She received a chemotherapy, and is waiting for a surgery. She has an option to start a surgery in 5-6 weeks after the last chemotherapy. Another option is wait to have a surgery with a doctor that they highly recommend considering that she had a treatment complications (pulmonary edema during paclitaxel administration). Then, she would have to move the surgery to 7-8 weeks after the chemo.

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited June 2016

    My TX plan was different than most - I did neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemo. There are no absolutes as to the best TX for all of us.

    4 DD A/C neoadjuvant, 2 weeks after last A/C had UMX. 3 weeks after UMX started 12 weekly Taxol adjuvant. A week after last Taxol started 25 rads. A week after starting rads, I started Femara. This is not the TX plan most do but is want my Drs wanted me to do and it worked for me - this Aug will be 7 yrs and still NED.

  • ElaineTherese
    ElaineTherese Member Posts: 3,328
    edited June 2016

    What kind of surgery is your mom getting? Lumpectomy or mastectomy? I was advised that I should have surgery four to six weeks after finishing chemo (but I didn't have any complications). I had my surgery (lumpectomy) six weeks after finishing chemo.

  • ibcmets
    ibcmets Member Posts: 4,286
    edited June 2016

    My doctor did not alloe surgery until a year after my chemo, having stage IV & IBC

    Terri

  • ibcmets
    ibcmets Member Posts: 4,286
    edited June 2016

    My doctor did not allow surgery until a year after my chemo, having stage IV & IBC


    Terri
  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited June 2016

    For those replying who are not IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer), the TX plans and time frames are different than for other types. IBC is rare - only between 1% - 5% of all DXd types of BC.

    With IBC, it is either Stage III or IV when DXd. It is very aggressive and rapid in presentation - hours/days matter. It presents differently thus neoadjuvant chemo is imperative. For me, neoadjuvant A/C was done to get it so Surgeon had a good chance of 'getting 'it'. No, never expected a 'complete response' but to get it to shrink, form into a 'lump' with good margins instead of the 'nest'/'bands' it forms as. Then once removed, hit with adjuvant chemo to 'finish the job' with rads as a last 'back up'

    Reconstruction surgery was 'forbidden' for at least a year - mastectomy was part of the TX plan and was between neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemo. We are each unique!

    The "odds" of making it to 5 yrs when IBC are DRASTICALLY less than all other types combined. When I saw my Drs a year after DX, they all said they had never expected me to make it to a year - this Aug will be 7 yrs since DX and still living and loving life everuday and still NED.

  • bride
    bride Member Posts: 382
    edited July 2016

    I had my mastectomy 5 weeks after chemo. I've always had low blood pressure and it got lower during chemo. And, after my sodium crashed my chemo fog worsened. So I wasn't in great condition for the surgery. Actually, my first surgery was aborted almost before it began because my BP fell to 60/40 as I was being knocked out. The following week I did have surgery with no problems. The surgical pathology report was totally negative -- I'd had a 100% response to chemo. I still did 6 weeks of radiation.

    Kicks is right about how each of us have unique IBC journeys. At this time in my journey I'm starting my second year of NED. I'd love to match (and even surpass) Kick's 7 years of NED. And I hope everyone has a good outcome.

    brid

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