Just diagnosed 3 hours ago with IDC

sorry to hear that the diagnosis ended up being this

I hope you get your treatment plan organized quickly. Many people find the time between dx and treatment start to be a difficult time - but I think you sound well prepared and strong.

best wishes

I never did meet a nurse navigator, although I saw one listed at the breast center. Got through everything just fine without one. I didn't get emotional about any of it, either. Well, I got cranky at the radiologist once, but that was it.

Hmm, usually if the HER results are equivocal with the ImmunoHistoChemistry, or IHC test, the sample is sent out for the FISH test. My cancer was equivocal with the IHC test, but I tested positive with the FISH test.

In your situation, it might be better off to be HER2+ because that offers more treatment options than triple negative. (ER-/PR-/HER2-). Good luck!

We HER2+ patients are blessed with a growing number of treatment options -- Herceptin, Perjeta, Kadycla, etc.. What was once seen as an aggressive cancer with poor outcomes is now very treatable. Unfortunately, treating HER2+ cancer is a marathon, not a sprint. Surgery, chemo + targeted therapy, radiation, a year of Herceptin..... Sometimes, treatment seems like it never ends. But, I found that if I took it one step at a time that it was doable. Have you met with an oncologist yet? That is the person who will help you with chemo and targeted therapy. I ended up doing Adriamycin + Cytoxin (X 4) and then Taxol (X 12) with Herceptin and Perjeta. However, many HER2+ breast cancer patients get Taxotere + Carboplatin + Herceptin + Perjeta. If your tumor is on the small side, you may be able to get just Taxol + Herceptin + Perjeta. Best wishes!

I did chemo first; it is encouraging to watch the cancer disappear (if it's visible). But, my lump was big (5 cm. with a satellite), so my MO could actually measure (with a ruler!) my lump as I went through chemo. By the end of chemo, an MRI and PET scan showed no active cancer left in my breast and compromised lymph node. Surgery confirmed this outcome, though my surgeon did remove a tiny pocket of high grade DCIS.

Of course, not everyone's cancer disappears during chemo. But, neoadjuvant chemo does tell us whether or not chemo was effective for our particular kind of cancer.

Your lump is fairly small but probably not small enough just to do the Taxol only regimen. (You could ask your oncologist about it -- Taxol only is gentler than the AC+T or TC chemos.) Also, you may or may not be getting Perjeta -- when I was treated four years ago, the guidelines held that the lump should be at least 2 cm. to qualify for Perjeta. But, more women with smaller lumps have been able to get Perjeta since then, so that may still be an option for you.

Good luck with your port surgery! I love my port, but my oncologist thinks I'm crazy for keeping it, as I'm almost 5 years out. I guess I'm just superstitious!