TNBC "Only about 50 out of 100 will be cancer free at 4 Years?"

Just my 2 cents, but what , who and where are the stats based on? where is the sampling and what years? How many women? I only say this because it sounds like a scare tactic to me, no matter who is heading up or backing the trial. Take this or die. Just my take on how it's worded. It could truly work, but then you won't know unless you don't take it? What about those who take it and still recur in a short time, and spent their last 2 years feeling crappy on chemo? No one tells you that. So the women I personally know and who have survived are just part of a 50 out of 100?

I shared this with my support group today, about 50 women, most TN and they all passed it around, paused and laughed. Yes laughed then shook their heads. They can because they are 4 plus years out and had no additional treatment, some are new like me. Some are stage iv and are on xeloda now. They all say if they had taken xeloda after surgery and rads, would it be an option now? For those in the group that have progressed xeloda is working for them. So many unknowns. One lady is on xeloda through a trial. She was a stage 3 but had hardly any reduction in her tumor with neoadj chemo. She says her paperwork did not say the above, though it referenced the Japanese study.

It just shows we need a lot more for TN.

I'm was in a study back in the 90's at a cancer center for my first breast cancer. If it had literature like this, I would not have done it. Just me. It was for tamoxifen. Many took it and still progressed. Some from my trial group. So you never really know. they were very careful not to give stats.

all just my humble opinion.

Val

Hi Hanley50, I had about 2mm of tumor left, my once positive node was clear. My MO mentioned Xeloda too, in fact she also mentioned Tamoxifen since my surgical pathology showed 2% ER+. She said she is going to do more research into Xeloda and we will talk about it when I see her in November after rads. I will definitely do one of the two, although she wasn't too sure about throwing even more chemo at me... I don't like the idea either, but I want to throw the kitchen sink at this.

And yes, stats suck. I've never been one to really look at the stays because I really don't want to know. In my head, it's always been 50/50, either it will reoccur or it won't.

Please keep us posted as to what you find out.

Hi Hanley: I just read your post and I am shocked.

#1 They definitely should have sent your tumor to pathology by now. I would never just rely on the biopsy

#2 I was TNBC and I was not offered Xeloda. That was 6 years ago, and I am doing Very well.

I am saddened that you have received a letter scaring you into more treatment. How very sad.

Hmmmm.... scary information.  Is the trial asking if you had less than 1 cm of cancer alive in the breast at time of surgery that was removed?  I'd imagine if the cancer was not dead at the time of surgery radiation would wipe out anything left behind. Don't the margins need to come out clear? Right?

I'm 3.5 years out from diagnosis and 3 years out from radiation completion.  I was told I had NED and PCR, after surgery, but also told that if any cancer cells remained, radiation would clean it up.  At the time my medical oncologist took a  sabatical and I saw a new onc and he ordered scans PET and CT from toes to neck and I showed clear.

I question the informatiion contained in the trial honestly, seems like something is missing.

Can you ask for scans to see what is going on first before comiting to something you may not need?