What are my mom's chances here

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maryds
maryds Member Posts: 22
edited October 2019 in Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer

My mom is 67 years old and has either stage 2B or 3A breast cancer. She has two tumors in her left breasts. Both IDC and DCIS are identified. Two tumors are measured at 2.5cm and 2.2cm respectively. Grade 3. She had a mastectomy and removal of auxiliary lymph nodes. 3 out of 14 lymph nodes were involved. One lymph node enlargement is measured at 7.2 cm and extra nodal extension is present. We did bone scan and CT scan before surgery and there is no evidence of

Her subtype is ER+ (90%), PR-, and HER-.

My mom refused chemo therapy but is willing to go through radiation and hormone therapy.She is receiving treatments in the US and the doctors here recommended chemo as an insurance. My mom feels that she is 67 and doesn't want to take the risk of the long term side effects caused by chemo.

I consulted with a doctor in Hong Kong and they were saying that her survival rat would be is 11% less in 10 years without chemo. It scares me... (I read the reply wrong and thought it was less than 11%! silly me!!!)

Ladies, any ideas?

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  • muska
    muska Member Posts: 1,195
    edited March 2019

    Maryds, if she has chemo her chances are pretty good. If she doesn't - you already know the stats. I would encourage her to get a second opinion, talk to women who are in the same boat (there are many on this site) and discuss different chemo options. There are options and some regimens are more aggressive than others if she is afraid of side effects. Chemo is not insurance, that's a treatment that she needs at her stage of cancer.

    Also, I would mention that chemo today is very different from what it was two decades ago. I went through 6+ months of chemo while working full time. I never felt nauseous.

    Best to you and your mom.

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  • footloose
    footloose Member Posts: 47
    edited March 2019

    maryds, yes a second opinion would help. Also with a doc who will explain the chemo your Mom needs and the possible s/e. Not everyone has side effects and they have treatment for them if you do. She's still young! I'm 72 and presently having chemo without a problem. See if you can help her identify her real fears about chemo - they may be incorrect and could be relieved.


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  • Runrcrb
    Runrcrb Member Posts: 577
    edited March 2019

    agree- chemo is much more targeted today than years ago. Options for addressing side effects are good too. I did lose my hair but had a great wig and had enough hair 4.5 months after my last chemo to stop wearing the wig. I worked full time during chemo and walked or swam 5 days a week. With the node involvement, the chemo will go a long way to helping her long term survival stats. Other than cancer, is she healthy and active? If so treatments may slow her down but not flatten her.

    Unfortunately all you can do is encourage her to reconsider. You cannot make her get treatment. You may have to reconcile yourself to her decision that is different from the one you hoped she’d make.


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  • blah333
    blah333 Member Posts: 270
    edited March 2019

    Ask her if she dies in a few years because she didn't do chemo if that is better than having long term effects from chemo....

    Chemotherapy is scary......... and is what I would most dread as well. But she needs some more information about it. A lot of people do die in their 70s but if she has children (like you) you'd think she would want to do what gives her the best chances.

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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited March 2019

    I would get a second opinion. Perhaps she would be willing to take AI drugs, more effective than tamoxifen for er+ pr- cancers.

    There is a cancer math calculator not sure it is helpful in her case.

    http://www.lifemath.net/cancer/breastcancer/condsu...

    This link allows you to put in info on the cancer on the node and details

    http://www.lifemath.net/cancer/breastcancer/therap...



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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited March 2019

    When I put in the numbers it says she has a 24.6 % from dying from cancer in 15 years with just AI drugs and a 14.8% chance if say AC&T chemo is added. I don't think survival rate of 11% in 10 years is accurate.

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  • maryds
    maryds Member Posts: 22
    edited March 2019

    Thank you!

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  • maryds
    maryds Member Posts: 22
    edited March 2019

    Thank you ladies for your replies.

    My mom had an extremely rough life. So rough that she actually accepts the high recurrence risk and not really cares about it. I know it sounds crazy. She's been through great famine, starvation, labor camp, political turmoil and revolution, oppression, persecution, domestic abuse, divorce etc. It's really wild. She raised me all by herself and worked really hard to ensure that I get a great education and do well while going through all that.

    She turns down chemo not because she is afraid of the toughness that comes with chemo. or the side effects. She's been through much much worse and survived. She told me that at this point of her life she simply wants to enjoy her life and accepts the time whenever God wants to take her away from this world.

    As her child, I hope she gets chemo. and it has been really hard for me to accept her choice. I've been talking to her to help her understand the high recurrence risk and what I find is that she accepts it and is totally fine with it. To be honest, since she is diagnosed with cancer, she is perfectly calm and peaceful. I am the one who is not handling it well...

    I am sharing this to give a bit more context.

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  • maryds
    maryds Member Posts: 22
    edited March 2019

    Yes. She is willing to take the pills. :)

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  • ZZZAAAZZZAAA
    ZZZAAAZZZAAA Member Posts: 43
    edited October 2019
    • i found ca15 now for my mother is 778 ,,,,,,the doctor say to us it will be high and reduce high and reduce you don t have information about that
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