Why AC chemo then surgery followed by Taxol chemo?

Our Drs are different and we are different so there is no 'One Size Fits All' when it comes to our individual TX plans.

The vast majority who do neoadjuvant seems to do 2 different 'batches' of chemo (not always the same chemo) neoadjuvant. As I understand the goal is to get a CPR (Complete Pathological Response) so that ideally there will be no BC remaining when surgery is done.

For me, it was 4 DD A/C neoadjuvant and 12 weekly Taxol adjuvant. For me, the idea was to get the mass (IBC forms as a 'nest' or 'bands') to form into a 'lump' with good margins and to shrink. It did. Then the 12 weekly Taxol adjuvant was to 'mop up' and 'hiding' cells.

My time line was 4 DD A/C (8 weeks), 2 weeks after last A/C had UMX, 3 weeks after UMX started 12 weekly Taxol. A week after last Taxol, I started 25 rads and a week after starting rads (2 weeks after last Taxol) I started Femara (was not available then in generic form letrozole).

Don't know if that answers any of your questions. For me, doing 1 neoadjuvant Chemo surgery and 1 adjuvant Chemo worked great. (When I hit a yr post DX, I found out that none of my Drs expected me to make it a yr - fooled them! I'm now 8 yrs post DX and still NED! Living and loving every minute to the utmost!) My TX plan makes a lot of sense to me.

I don't remember who, but I do remember another Member who had done neoadjuvant and adjuvant a while ago. She was also IBC. I've been here for 8 yrs and relayed my TX plan often and that it worked great for me. Rads were always part of the TX plan for me.

I think it depends on the MO. I had dd AC, lumpectomy, and I Friday I will be getting my third weekly taxol. After taxol I will have to do radiation. I had a complete patholgic response to AC. I was hoping that I could skip taxol, but my MO said that there just isn't enough research to show that only having AC would be enough to prevent a recurrence.